A Year Reclaimed
by Skaz Wolfman
Summary: An alternate look at what the year between KH and KHII could have been like…if Naminé had made better use of her powers and Sora had never gone to Castle Oblivion, lost his memories, and gone to sleep. But now the timestream is out of sorts, and apparently there's an apocalypse on the horizon...oops? Less of a parody than it was before, so SOME serious-taking is permitted.
1. A Detour at the Crossroads of Chance

Author's Note: An alternative look at what the year between KH and KHII could have been like…if Naminé had abused the crap out of her powers and Sora had never gone to Castle Oblivion, lost his memories, and gone to sleep. Because who really wants to lose a whole year of their life? Oh, and some off-color humor thrown in for flavor, because that's how I roll. Buckle up kids, it's gonna be a wild ride.

* * *

 **A Year Reclaimed.**

 **Chapter 1: A Detour at the Crossroads of Chance.**

 **(In which Naminé breaks the timestream and looks fabulous doing it. Just not as fabulous as Marluxia. But then, who is, really?)**

* * *

Most people find it pretty distressing, being someplace where they have no idea where they are. Sora, on the other hand, didn't mind too much. After all there were worse places to be than strolling down a dirt road through rolling green hills under a mildly cloudy blue sky with the sun on your face and a gentle breeze at your back, with a couple of true-blue ride-or-die homies by your side. Especially considering where he'd been just before he'd gotten here…where/whatever that place had been, exactly. No, Sora wasn't the type to angst uselessly about strange situations. After you watched your home world get swallowed up by darkness and wake up in a strange town home to, among other things, Moogles and talking ducks, you find it takes a lot to disturb you. And that was nothing compared to what he had seen afterwards.

As Sora ambled down the road, Donald and Goofy on either side of him, he watched the clouds crawl along the skyways with his arms folded behind his head. He thought of the friends he had made on this long, strange journey; the worlds he had seen and left behind. He hoped Leon was wrong, and that there was some way he'd be able to see them all again. He thought of Riku and the King, and hoped they'd be alright in the Realm of Darkness until he could find a way to them. Then he chuckled to himself and shook his head; the King probably knew more than he did, and Sora was sure he and Riku would find their way back to the Light. With a pang in his heart, he thought of Kairi, and home, and how close he had come to making it back to them both. With Ansem defeated he was certain that the Islands were back where they belonged, and somehow he knew that Kairi was already there waiting for him and Riku to come back.

"Hey, Sora," spoke up Goofy, turning his head towards him, "You've been awful quiet for a while now."

"Yeah, what're you thinking about?" asked Donald as he stood in Sora's path, sounding slightly suspicious.

"Hey, we just saved _all_ the worlds. Doesn't that buy a guy a little time to think?" asked Sora, sounding cross. He folded his arms in front of his chest and glared Donald down.

"Not when he's a troublemaker, like you," replied Donald, narrowing his eyes at Sora. The two glared at each other for a moment, with Goofy looking between them. Then they both started laughing, and after a beat Goofy joined them.

When the laughter died down, Sora shook his head and said, "I was just thinking about where we've been, what we've done, who we've seen, that sort of thing. You know, just your normal 'hero-reflecting-on-his-adventures' stuff."

"You mean junior hero, don't-cha?" corrected Goofy.

"Nah, we're definitely full heroes now," said Sora with a grin, "Like I said, we just saved _all_ the worlds. Short of actually sacrificing yourself in the process, how can you get anymore heroic than that?" Goofy nodded in agreement.

"Except you _did_ sacrifice yourself, and it wasn't heroic. It was stupid!" squawked Donald, coming as close as he ever would to admitting that his heart had skipped a beat when Sora Heartless'd himself back at Hollow Bastion. Goofy nodded his agreement to that as well; and he considered himself something of an expert on stupid.

"Aw, it all worked out just fine," Sora said, dismissively waving a hand. Goofy shrugged and nodded to show that Sora had something of a point.

"But you had no way of knowing Kairi would bring you back!" Donald insisted, jumping up and down. Goofy nodded some more.

"Which is why it was so heroic of me to do it anyways," Sora said with one of his trademark dopey grins. Goofy didn't nod this time; instead he rubbed the back of his neck, as it was feeling sore.

Donald threw his hands up and quaked out some indistinct noises of frustration and let the subject go, but only reluctantly. Cynical as he was, even he supposed there was really no point belaboring his point when Kingdom Hearts itself had proven that Sora was right in his infinite idealism. The trio set off down the road once more, but they had only been walking a few minutes when Sora stopped and frowned. Once again, Goofy was the first to notice and stopped as well. "Hey, Sora, what's up?" he asked, sounding a little worried at his friend's expression.

"Ah, now what?" added Donald, sounding worried and impatient at the same time like only he could.

"I don't know, I just…I just remembered something weird," he replied.

"Weird how?" asked Donald, more curious than impatient now.

"Weird in that I'm pretty sure it's something I didn't know about before I remembered it," said Sora, his frown deepening.

"Huh?" said Donald.

"That…uh…doesn't make sense," observed Goofy.

"Yeah. Like I said, weird," repeated Sora.

"Well, what'd you 'remember'?" asked Donald.

"That we need to go to Twilight Town."

"Where's that?" asked Goofy.

"No idea. I've never heard of it before now," said Sora.

"That makes even less sense!" yelled Donald, jumping up and down and shaking his fists.

"Tell me about it…but that's what I remembered just now," said Sora with a helpless shrug.

"HEY GUYS!" shouted a girl's voice. Sora looked up the road and Donald and Goofy both turned around.

"Say, didn't that sound kind-a like–" Goofy started.

"Yeah, it definitely did," cut in Donald.

" _It's Yuffie!_ " the three of them chorused, pointing down the road. Up ahead they saw their friend, the Great Ninja Yuffie, riding on what looked like a huge yellow bird…thingy. Four more yellow bird-things were running behind her, and the last one was also mounted by another familiar face. "And it looks like Leon's with her!" added Sora. At once the trio started running down the road towards their unexpected friends.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" Yuffie called out as they drew near. "It's so great to see you guys! How'd saving the worlds go?"

"Eh, not bad. We kicked butt," Sora replied casually, "What are you guys doing here?"

Yuffie, Leon, and their bird-things came to a stop as the trio reached them, and Leon gave a small smile and a sharp nod in their direction. "Well," Yuffie began, "You might not believe this, but not long after you guys left for your final showdown with…you know…me, Leon, and Aerith suddenly…well, the only way I can describe it is that we all suddenly 'remembered' that we had to come here to meet you guys. So Cid threw together a Gummi Ship with blocks we found lying around Hollow Bastion, and the three of us hightailed it here. Aerith even managed to find us some Chocobos when we got here."

"Cho-what's-its?" asked Sora, question marks popping up around his head (or so it felt like).

"Chocobos," stated Leon, ruffling the head-feathers on his avian steed. "Like Moogles, they tend to show up on many different worlds."

"Well, what are you guys waiting for?" asked Yuffie, "Mount up! The Gummi Ship awaits!"

" _Alright!_ " chorused Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They jumped up onto the vacant Chocobos in short order–though it took Goofy a few tries and ultimately some help from an exasperated Donald–and soon the trio-cum-quintet turned around and rode back down the road, to where Aerith and their ride was waiting for them.

* * *

Far away, on another world, Naminé opened her eyes. She smiled and gave a strained sigh; that had been more taxing than she'd expected. "Well? Is it done?" asked the beanie-and-trenchcoat-wearing young man who had saved her from capture. One of his eyes were swollen shut and he had an angry bruise on his exposed stomach, and his clothes had rips and tears and was paradoxically scorched in some places and soaked in others, and his tone and posture were stiff and brusque…but he was still helping them, so Naminé didn't begrudge him his impatience. He and his friends were in way over their heads, after all.

"Yes, that should have just about done it," she replied, getting back up to her feet and dusting her dress off, "Help is on the way. But we should move; we've tarried too long."

"How long will it take for them to get here and get you two out of my town?" Seifer asked. He didn't argue, but gestured to his followers to form up. Fuu and Rai had been keeping look-out at either end of the tunnel they were in, and Vivi had been keeping an eye on Naminé's unconscious friend, the boy with spiky blonde hair. They all had their Struggle bats in hand and jumped at the smallest noises.

"It will still take a while," Naminé answered sadly. Rai picked up the unconscious boy and slung him over his shoulders, Vivi and Fuu assumed rear guard behind him, and Seifer took point with Naminé just behind him, and they set out down the unfinished tunnels that they had broken into during their mad-dash escape. "It would probably be better for the two of us to hide somewhere while you guys get clear of us," she gently suggested for what must have been the dozenth time.

"Forget it," said Seifer bluntly, "You've been nothing but a thorn in my side for the last couple of hours, and frankly your boyfriend here gives me a bad vibe I can't quite shake off…but I'm not going to let you two out of my sight while those loonies are after you."

"Yeah! When Seifer picks a fight, he doesn't quit early, y'know?" piped up Rai.

"We're committed," added Fuu with a firm nod. _'To the funny farm, that is,'_ she thought to herself.

Vivi couldn't think of anything pithy to say, so he just focused on listening for any warning sign of the bad guys sneaking up on them.

"Thank you," Naminé said humbly, wishing she could think of better words to express her gratitude.

"Think nothing of it," said Seifer, tightening his grip on his bat, "It has nothing to do with you two. When a man sees a couple of hoodlums harassing a young lady, he doesn't just ignore it. Especially when he's head of the town's disciplinary committee."

"Man, Seifer's so cool, y'know?" Rai stage-whispered to Vivi, wanting to make sure his leader heard the praise. Or maybe he just didn't know how to whisper properly?

"Yeah, sure," replied Vivi distractedly, his full attention focused on not getting ambushed. His clothes were still wet from the last fight.

"Your boyfriend put up a pretty good fight, though," commented Seifer as they rounded another corner. "But those two were way too much for him, the redhead in particular," he added.

"Not too much for you though, Seifer, y'know?" said Rai excitedly, "One good hit and bam! On the ground like a sack of potatoes, y'know?!"

"That was a lucky shot," Seifer snapped, "If I had missed, or if that hit hadn't knocked him out, he'd have burned us all to a crisp. Be serious, Rai; these guys aren't Strugglers or normal troublemakers. They're dangerous." As Rai was stunned into silence at Seifer's unexpected and uncharacteristic admission, Seifer turned back to Naminé and pressed on, "And you said there were ten more where they came from. How did you two ever get away from them?"

"I wasn't easy," said Naminé, who had decided not to mention how she'd had to convince Roxas to leave with her. There was no need for them to know that he had, however briefly, been the Organization's No. 13, and she didn't want Seifer to be any more suspicious of him than he already was. "I had to open a pathway through the darkness. But having never done so before, and not being particularly well-versed with the darkness to begin with, it didn't quite work out the way I had hoped. I had been aiming for Hollow Bastion, but wound up here instead, in one of the in-between worlds."

"Whatever that means," Seifer said gruffly. He decided he'd rather not have his world shaken up too much today. He'd rather just believe that Naminé was crazy too, and that he was doing this for chivalry's sake alone.

Behind them, Fuu gasped and whirled around, raising her bat. "Trouble," she said breathlessly. _'Oh damn, we're so deep in it that it's not even funny anymore,'_ she thought.

Echoing from the tunnel behind them was the sound of strings being plucked, and Vivi tried to subtly position himself behind Rai. It was someone else's turn to get soaked. Seifer ran up and stood beside Fuu, pointing his bat down the tunnel. "Rai, Vivi, get them out of here!" he barked.

"On it! C'mon Rai, let's get out of here!" squawked Vivi, clutching his bat tightly in one hand and grabbing Naminé's hand with the other, running down the tunnel in the other direction…only for a man in a hooded black coat to step around the corner. At the same time another figure in similar garb, plucking the strings of a blue sitar, appeared at the other end.

"Uh, Seifer? This way's no good, y'know?" reported Rai. He and Vivi started backing up, shielding Naminé as they went.

"Damn! Naminé, you and your boyfriend are way more trouble than you're worth," grumbled Seifer.

"Sorry," said Naminé, who started trying to shake Roxas awake.

"Aint they, though?" commented the sitar player as he drew his hood back. "Tell ya what; throw down you're weapons, stand aside, and beg for forgiveness. Maybe Axel an' I'll give ya a break, what-a-ya say?"

"Demyx, you moron," growled the other one, Axel, as he drew back his hood, "It's not cool to mess with people like that. You know the Superior doesn't like witnesses. They…complicate things."

"Well, yeah, but it might have been funny to watch them grovel," countered Demyx petulantly.

Axel sighed and shook his head. "Dude, just because you've got no heart doesn't mean you _have_ to be an ass. Not cool."

"Pfft, killjoy," retorted Demyx.

"Whatever, let's just get this over with and get them back to the castle, alright?" said Axel, fire swirling around his hands before materializing as a pair of chakrams.

"Now you're speakin' my language, man!" crowed Demyx, riffing a note that conjured a squad of water figures.

"Oh, this aint good, y'know?" said Rai, lowering a still-inert Roxas to the floor so he could take a ready stance.

"Yeah, no kidding," agreed Seifer, pointing his bat straight at Demyx.

"Mommy!" wailed Vivi, clutching his bat with both hands and shivering like a leave in a typhoon.

"Crap," stated Fuu flatly. _'Should I tell Seifer I love him now, or wait to do it with my dying breath? Decisions, decisions. The latter would probably be more in-character for me, but what better time than the very last minute to break your own image?'_

Naminé sighed and said, "I really didn't want to do this…but I guess it's our only way out of this mess."

"What? Girl, do you have an ace in the hole you've been holding on to?" demanded Seifer.

"You could say that," replied Naminé. She drew back her hand and slapped Roxas full-on across the face, and then followed through with a firm backhand just for good measure. Roxas jerked awake, but before he could do or say anything Naminé pressed the palm of her hand firmly to his forehead and said, "Remember, Roxas. Remember the battles of those who came before you, and remember how to fight." Her hand glowed, and that light was echoed in Roxas's eyes; memories of Ventus's and Sora's battles flashed through his mind, and without conscious thought he called Oathkeeper to his hand and stood up.

"Don't be afraid, Naminé," he said as he turned to face the closer threat, Axel. "I'll protect you…no matter what," he said decisively.

"Oh-ho, scary talk," Axel sneered, "Look, you've only had _days_ to practice fighting. There's no way–"

His speech was cut off when Roxas appeared right in front of him, Oathkeeper's edge inches from his throat. It was only by pure reflex that Axel stepped back and blocked the swing in time, but it was just the first strike in a vicious barrage. Roxas pressed his offensive, his face expressionless as he strung together swing after slash after strike, a fluidly brutal volley of what could only be called cold fury. Axel jumped back and blurred around to Roxas's flank, lashing out with one of his weapons, only for Roxas to block it off-handedly with a new Keyblade, Oblivion. Roxas retaliated with Oathkeeper, but Axel jumped back and raised a wall of fire to ward him off…but Roxas was having none of that, jumping right through the flames and rushing his opponent. Axel's eyes widened in shock and he started backpedaling quickly, only to find himself with his back to the wall of the cramped tunnel. Snarling, he brought up Eternal Flames to block Roxas's assault, and as soon as their weapons were locked he unleashed a massive explosion right in Roxas's face. Roxas slammed back into the opposite wall, his clothes and hair smoking and singed, his arms and face covered in first-degree burns, but he almost immediately bounced back swinging, a mildly pained expression being the only sign of his discomfort. "So now _you're_ a dual-wielder, too, huh?" remarked Axel, skipping and side-stepping around Roxas's offensive, "And you're suddenly tenacious as all hell. What's gotten into you, man? You look like you came down with a sudden case of the Heroics…bummer."

Roxas rushed at Axel swinging both Keyblades overhead, and when Axel blocked with his Eternal Flames Roxas levered his weapons and vaulted over him. As he landed he crouched and spun around, sweep-kicking Axel's legs out from under him. "You talk too much," he taunted as he raised Oblivion for a finishing strike.

"Demyx! Support!" screamed Axel.

"Right!" said Demyx, who had been watching Roxas and Axel's duel in awe. "Uh…well, between you and me, I think you have the best hair in the Organization. I'm actually kind of jealous," replied the ditsy sitar-player.

The stupidity of this outburst completely distracted Roxas and made him turn to Demyx with a confused look on his face, presenting Axel a perfect opportunity to strike. Unfortunately, the redhead was equally distracted as well as annoyed. "What?!" exclaimed Axel.

"You asked for support, right?" asked Demyx innocently.

" _Combat_ support, you nerd!" Axel seethed.

"Oh…let's see…well, you definitely put the style in fighting style, if you know what I mean. Don't tell Marluxia I said that, though. Or the hair thing, either. He might get jeal–"

" _Attack Roxas,_ you stupid hippie!" Axel yelled.

"Oh! Why didn't you say so in the first place?" said Demyx with a grin, strumming Arpeggio. His water figures surged forward, but they were intercepted by Seifer and his crew, who batted them into puddles. "Hey! Not cool, dudes…and chick…and the short one with the hat, I'm not sure what you are. Those were supposed to fight Roxas," said Demyx before playing Arpeggio again. More water figures sprang up and rushed into battle, only to be smacked down again by the four furious Strugglers. "Grrr, stop that!" yelled Demyx, summoning more water figures only to see his ineffectual elemental mooks get slaughtered once more. "That's it! No More Mr. Nice Guy!" he declared before belting out the Alice Cooper song of the same name on his sitar. The pipes running through the unfinished walls of the tunnel exploded, and water surged out and coalesced into a semi-solid sphere around Seifer, Rai, Fuu, and Vivi, effectively immobilizing them. More water formed into the figure of an armored knight mounted on a war-charger, armed with a lance tucked under one arm and swinging a flail in its other hand. The Water Knight charged Roxas, who confidently countercharged and slammed both weapons into the horse.

To his shock, however, his strikes only glanced off of the super-dense water. The Water Knight swung its flail up into Roxas's chin, knocking him up into the air, and then it struck with its lance, sending him flying down the corridor. Axel got up slowly and stared at Demyx in open shock. "Hot damn, man. I think that's the first time I've ever seen you get _serious_."

Demyx shrugged and said, "Yeah. I used to be such a sweet, sweet thing, 'til the Organization got a hold of me. I opened doors for little old ladies, I helped–"

"God _damn_ it, Demyx, no quoting lyrics on missions!" Axel screamed, "I've told you a thousand times! Get it memorized, already!" he said, Gibbs-smacking Demyx. "Now, be a good tool and take Naminé back to headquarters, okay? Got it memorized?" he sneered.

"Didn't the boss say not to use your catchphrase more than once in a conversation?" asked Demyx.

Axel gave Demyx his most withering glare, and Demyx grinned sheepishly. "Right, one retrieval, coming right…oh. Oops."

"What now?" asked Axel as he began stalking back towards Roxas. He turned around, and his jaw dropped when he saw what was 'oops'. Seifer, Rai, Fuu, Vivi, and Naminé were all gone; all that remained of Demyx's water prison was a huge puddle. "Oh…flaming pants," he groaned.

"Guess I shouldn't have stopped playing," said Demyx with a shrug. The only thing that saved him from being slaughtered by Axel in a blind, murderous rage was the fact that Axel had no intention of screwing up this mission, because then his seat in Where Nothing Gathers would be shorter than Larxene's, and to hell with that noise.

"Just get after them," Axel ordered, "I'll handle Roxas."

* * *

"I can't believe he just let us go!" exclaimed Vivi as he and his friends beat feet down the tunnel.

"Yeah, he must've known not playing his instrument would make his prison collapse, y'know?" observed Rai. He carried a bound-and-gagged Naminé over his shoulder, despite her struggling. She was bound and gagged because she had initially resisted the idea of leaving Roxas behind. Seifer had addressed this reluctance by pointing out that Roxas had said quite clearly that he would 'protect her no matter what', which logically meant he wouldn't mind being left behind if it meant she would be safe. But since Naminé wasn't in the mood to logic, the binding and gagging had been deemed necessary.

"Idiot," Fuu agreed.

"Less chatting, more retreating," said Seifer, "And keep it down, or he'll find us." As if on cue, the sound of a power chord ripped down the tunnel after them. Despite already running flat-out, they all managed to pour on a little more speed as water pipes behind them started exploding. Seifer led his crew around a right corner through one of the tunnel exits…but unlike the one that they had entered through, this one had its gate lowered and locked. "Son of a–" Seifer began, but the offensive part of his sentence was drowned out by another power chord as Demyx did the electric slide into view right behind Naminé and her rescuers.

"Back in black! Demyx is baaaaaack!" he wailed, playing a well-known tune by a certain band that is awesomely unafraid to bring bagpipes into the mix. Seriously, the world of rock needs more bagpipes like radio needs more cowbell. That is to say, a lot. "And now you're _**doomed!**_ " he exclaimed, delivering the last word in a bass tone worthy of a Norwegian Black Metal vocalist.

"No!" wailed Vivi, running up to the exit gate and ineffectually bashing on it with his bat.

"Screwed," sighed Fuu.

"Well if I'm going down, I'm going down swinging, y'know!" Rai proclaimed fiercely. He tossed Naminé to Seifer, who was gallant enough to catch her, and snatched Vivi's bat before charging at Demyx.

"Gutsy," said Demyx, lazily blocking Rai's dual-overhead swing with Arpeggio, "But just because dual-wielding makes you look cool doesn't mean you'll win." Demyx pushed Rai back and ripped another power chord on his sitar. Instead of pipes exploding or water constructs forming, however, a corridor of darkness appeared behind Demyx and a pair of Dancers and a squad of Dusks poured out.

"Rai, pull back!" Seifer ordered, "It's no good!"

"What use is backing down when your back's already to the wall, y'know?" retorted Rai.

"Well, he's got you there," Vivi pointed out, sounding oddly serene all of a sudden. Clearly he had become so hysterical with terror he had gone full circle and entered a state of 'tranquil panic', if you will.

Naminé squeezed her eyes tightly shut and started thinking franticly. _'I can't just let these people die for me! I have to do something to save them, and we have to be able to save Roxas, or else Sora will be in danger, and so will the rest of the worlds. But what can I do? I can't fight Demyx off myself, and I don't have time to make him forget what he's doing…I wish I were a Keyblade wielder, or something. But wait…what if I…oh my. It's crazy, absurd really…but it just might be our only hope. Well, here goes nothing.'_

Naminé still wasn't sure exactly _how_ or _why_ she could access other peoples' memories, though she had theories, and she had noted that her power worked faster and more effectively on people who were more directly and strongly connected to Sora. She had theories about that too. She had a lot of theories for someone who was only a few days old. But now she reached out to Sora's heart–which she noted was much easier than the last time, which was very encouraging because it meant he was a lot closer than before–and sifted through his memories. She picked through his most vivid memories of fighting, and those memories that represented what he fought for. She took those memories and distilled them into pure combat instinct, then willed them out into the world with a desperate plea: _'Please, protect us!'_

Naminé opened her eyes. She was surprised to find she was sitting on the floor; Seifer must have set her down. Rai had evidently returned Vivi's bat, and the four Strugglers had formed a defensive circle around her. They were trying to fight back the Dusks while the Dancers hung back with Demyx, who was watching the fight with an amused expression. That expression changed when the air in front of Naminé started rippling and darkening, twisting and contorting, until finally the darkness coalesced into a petite figure obscured by a _very_ familiar-looking hooded black coat. Naminé, not realizing herself what she had just wrought, initially panicked, thinking another member of the Organization had arrived. Then she realized the figure in question was too small of frame to be any of the longcoat-wearing Nobodies she was familiar with. The stranger's frame seemed distinctly feminine, but she (if it was a she) was way too short to be Larxene, the Organization's resident Smurfette. Then the figure turned around and looked at Naminé with its visage still concealed, and spoke in an unmistakably feminine voice, "Did you call me here?"

Naminé blinked. Demyx also looked confused. So did the Dusks, and after realizing their enemies were distracted, so were Seifer and Co. "Yes, I did," Naminé replied.

"Why?" asked the hooded figure.

"To protect us."

"From what?"

"Him," Naminé pointed at Demyx. The stranger looked over her shoulder and regarded him with eyes no one could see, and then turned back to Naminé. All she did was nod before holding out her right hand. Brilliant white light engulfed and then extended from her hand, and when it faded she was wielding the Kingdom Key. Naminé and Demyx both dropped their jaws, and Seifer just groaned. _'Great, just great, there's_ another _one!'_ he thought disdainfully, _'there ought to be a law against these things. They're nothing but trouble.'_

"Hey, who are you?" Demyx demanded of the newcomer as she slowly turned to face him, though her own face remained hidden.

"Your enemy, evidently," she replied, crouching and holding her Keyblade in a ready stance.

"Oh…well that sucks. You sound like a cutie. Say, why don't you draw back that hood so I can see the face I'm going to beat in?" Demyx requested, snapping his fingers and pointing two fingers at her. His Dancers immediately broke left and right to flank her, somersaulting and pirouetting gratuitously as they moved.

"That's…not gonna happen," the Hooded Girl replied simply. The Dancer on the left surged forward and reached out to grab her so it could do that [BLEEP] cheap-ass grapple it was renowned for, but surprisingly the hooded girl jumped towards it at the last second, kicking off of its head. This sent the Dancer reeling backwards while also springing the hooded girl at the other Dancer, who had hung back with the plan to strike the target after the other Dancer had thrown her. Instead, the Dancer was dispatched with two swift strokes of Kingdom Key; the Hooded Girl landed in a three point crouch and threw her Keyblade at the other Dancer, which easily dodged the strike…raid.

"Watch out, dummy!" Demyx shouted at his underling, but it was too late. In a rapid burst of phantom speed, the Hooded Girl had dashed forward and dropped into a slide kick, knocking the Dancer's feet from under it. Before the phenomenally graceful Nobody could recover, the Hooded Girl negated her momentum with a breakdancing spin and kicked the Dancer up into the air. The Dancer recovered in midair, but it was too late; the Hooded Girl had already recalled her Keyblade and jumped up. She slashed the Dancer twice before kicking it back to the ground where it exploded into shards of nothingness. The Hooded Girl landed on her feet and threw her weapon again; this time it traveled in a wide arc that cut through the Dusks before it magically returned to its wielder's hand. Only one Dusk remained, but not for long as Seifer and Co. ganged up on it and Struggled it to a literal pulp. You can't say you've seen everything until you've seen Dusk-pulp on the ground.

This just left the Hooded Girl and Demyx facing each other. They stared each other in the eye (or at least, Demyx assumed they were) and then the Melodious Nocturne shook his head and said, "Nope. Axel can field this one." He tucked Arpeggio under his arm, pantomimed tipping a hat to the Hooded Girl, and turned around and ran back the way he came.

Rai and Vivi stared in open awe at their enigmatic savior, Seifer grunted ambiguously, and Fuu simply stated, "Lucky." It was anyone's guess whether she was speaking of the Hooded Girl…or themselves.

Naminé beamed at her and curtsied. "Thank you, so much. You saved us…um, do you have a name?"

The Hooded Girl shook her head. "Do you?"

"Of course. I'm Naminé," said Naminé.

"My name's Vivi; we owe you one, huge time!"

"I'm Rai, y'know?"

"Fuu."

"And I'm Seifer, the leader."

The Hooded Girl turned to each of the Strugglers as they introduced themselves, and then back to Naminé. To her surprise the Hooded Girl adopted a formal position of prostration, putting the tip of the Keyblade on the ground with both hands clasped atop the butt of its hilt, kneeling on one knee and bowing her head. "Is there anything else I can do for you, my lady?" Seifer and Co. all stared at the Hooded Girl, then at Naminé, and then looked to each other to share their raised-eyebrow looks of confusion and shrugs of resignation.

"Um…well, assuming that Keyblade of yours is as real as it looks, would you mind…?" Naminé trailed off as she stepped aside and gestured at the locked gate that had impeded their flight.

"My pleasure," said the Hooded Girl as she stood up, pointing Kingdom Key at the gate. Then she dashed forward and destroyed the gate with three heavy swings.

Naminé sweatdropped and said, "Uh…that works too, I guess…thank you, um…we really need to give you a name."

(She was right, too. No way am I going to keep writing 'the Hooded Girl'. That requires me to press the Shift key twice as many times as for any other character's name, plus it's just unnecessarily long and sounds awkward in conversation.)

"Any suggestions?" Naminé asked of the Strugglers.

They looked to one another and scratched their heads in thought.

"Well, it should describe her somehow, y'know?" said Rai.

"Ninja," Fuu quipped, making Rai and Vivi chuckle.

"Maybe Shinobi? That _sounds_ like a name, at least," said Seifer.

' _Shinobi? I like it…but it's a little too long,'_ the Hooded Girl thought. Before she could say so, Vivi spoke up. "She no be? Mo' like _she_ _owns_! Huge time! I mean, the way she–"

"I like that one," the Hooded Girl interrupted. Vivi looked at her quizzically. The Hooded Girl nodded, "I like the sound of that. 'She owns'. Xion. I'll be Xion," she decided.

Naminé smiled and nodded, reaching out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you…Xion." Xion (presumably) stared at Naminé's hand for a moment, then down at her own, and then accepted the proffered handshake.

"Great, now all you need is a face," Seifer snarked.

Xion whipped her head at him and glared from under her hood, but she didn't move to lower it. Instead she turned back to Naminé and asked, "Will that be all, Lady Naminé?"

Naminé was about to say yes, when she suddenly remembered, and her eyes widened. "Roxas! We have to go back for Roxas!" she exclaimed, already running back down the tunnel.

Seifer and Co. collectively groaned, and Seifer shouldered his bat before starting after her, but Xion stuck out her arm, blocking his way with her Keyblade. "I'll take it from here. You should get to safety."

Seifer sneered and said, "Hey, I committed myself to this fight, and I'll see it through to the end."

"What Seifer starts, he finishes! Y'know?" added Rai, raising his bat as well.

"And we stand behind him because he stands behind us!" chimed in Vivi, also raising his bat.

"True companions," said Fuu, joining in on the Strugglers' salute.

"And anyways, a disaster magnet like Naminé needs all the badass backup she can get," concluded Seifer, putting his hand on Kingdom Key and gently lowering it. The moment he touched it, he felt a tingle in his palm, but he paid it no mind. He had a fight to finish! He started down the tunnel, Xion, Rai, Fuu, and Vivi close behind him.

They hadn't gone far when Naminé came peeling back around the corner and bolted past them. "Get back!" she shouted back to them. Just then, the tunnels shook from the force of an explosion. They all heard the rapid-fire clanging of a high-speed duel, saw an orange glow on the wall, and felt the ground under their feet shake from another explosion. Roxas, his clothes and hair smoking and singed, skipped off the floor like a skimming stone into their view, clearly having been thrown back during his off-screen battle. He got back up to his feet a lot quicker than his audience expected, considering his apparent condition, but not fast enough for his liking. He raised Oblivion and Oathkeeper in a defensive stance. He stared down the tunnel, presumably at the out-of-sight and approaching Axel. The others were impressed by the look of total focus and fierce determination on his features.

"Roxas, we need to go," urged Seifer, "That guy's fire attacks are too dangerous down here in this cramped space. We should pull out into the open, then we can all attack him at once."

"Uh…I hate to be _that_ guy, y'know, but that, uh, sounds kind-a cowardly, don't ya think, Seifer? Y'know?" Rai spoke up.

"Pragmatic," Fuu corrected.

"She's right," agreed Vivi, "No shame ganging up on the big-an'-scary ones.

Roxas didn't seem to register what they were saying at first, but he nodded and twirled both Keyblades before tucking them under his arms and running past the others towards the exit and Naminé.

"Where ya going, little fella?" said Axel's voice somewhere (not far away enough) off-screen.

" _Run_ ," Fuu and Seifer both hissed before about-facing and doing just that, Rai and Vivi close behind them.

Using her ninja-like speed, Xion outstripped them all and easily caught up to Roxas. He glanced at her before looking forward again, and then he did a double-take with a stunned look. He dashed ahead and stood in her way, raising both weapons. "Who are you?" he barked, "Another of the Organization's cronies?"

"No time! She's on our side, man!" shouted Seifer as he and the other Strugglers caught up and continued on ahead. Xion said nothing, only raising her own Keyblade with the blade pointing downwards. Roxas, who at this point only had memories of _using_ a Keyblade and didn't really know much about them beyond that, wasn't sure what to think of this. Ultimately, he decided that there was no time to waste with Axel closing in on them, and he just nodded to her before turning and heading for the exit once more.

Roxas and Xion were quick to close the distance with Seifer and his crew, and soon enough the six of them emerged from the tunnel exit and into the district of Twilight Town called the Tram Common. There was no sign of Naminé, however. "Ah, hell. Now what?" grumbled Seifer, shouldering his bat.

"This way," said Roxas, pointing with Oathkeeper before running in that direction.

The others followed him and Seifer asked, "How do you know?"

"Can't you see it?" asked Roxas.

"See _what_?" Seifer asked, irritated.

"The flying, flashing, neon arrow!" Roxas shouted as he pointed at the arrow, which he didn't realize was merely a phantasm. It led them to a hole in a wall, and on the other side was a densely wooded area. Beyond that was the gate to an old, somewhat rundown mansion. Past that gate was a courtyard decorated with crumbling pillars, and that was where they found Naminé, bound and gagged once again, only this time at the feet of a black-coat wearing man with silvery hair that was swept over one side of his face. "Zexion," growled Roxas, "Let her go! You can't hold us against our will like this!"

"Why not?" replied Zexion, his tone genial and his manner unconcerned. He almost sounded genuinely curious. "You aren't people any more than I am. And more to the point," he continued as he snapped his fingers. Four corridors of darkness sprang up, two on either side of him. To Zexion's left, Vexen and Lexaeus appeared. To Zexion's right, Marluxia and Larxene. "You're not exactly in a position to make demands of us, Roxas. The Organization has great plans for the future, but we need a Keyblade Wielder like you to realize them. Not to mention, the _true_ Keybearer is a threat to the entire thing. He needs to be dealt with, and for that we need both you _and_ Naminé in our corner."

"Actually," said Marluxia as he stepped forward, "We don't really _need_ Roxas. Once we have Sora, we can just make him turn into a Heartless again and produce a new Keyblade-wielding Nobody. Perhaps the next one will actually _remember_ how to wield a Keyblade?" he added, throwing a caustic smirk in Roxas's direction.

"Or we could try making a Replica of Sora," Vexen threw out there, "Beings with hearts are a lot easier to manipulate than Nobodies like us." He didn't notice the way Larxene's fists tightened when he said that.

"You and your Replicas" she sneered, "You're pathetically obsessed. You think Replicas are the answer to any problem. 'Hey, Vexen, you know where the remote is?' 'No, but give me a minute and I'll make a Replica of the remote!' 'Hey, Vexen, someone stole the cookie jar!' 'Oh, sorry, that was me. I'm making Replicas of it so I can have more cookies!' 'Hey, Vexen–"

"Yes, Larxene, we get it," interrupted Zexion, "In any event, we don't know _why_ Roxas retained Sora's ability to wield the Keyblade. It's possible that any Replicas we created or any new Nobodies we engineered from him might lack this most crucial ability. Making a new Nobody from him would be especially risky, since we could only do it once because we have no idea how he managed to change _back_. And though beings with hearts are easier to _manipulate_ , their sentimental reasoning also makes them unpredictable and paradoxically difficult to _control_. It's safer just to reclaim Roxas."

"Fine," said Vexen. After a beat, "Could we Replicate him anyways? You know, backups? Just in case?" Larxene rolled her eyes. Zexion pinched the bridge of his nose.

"If it's okay with the Superior, then fine," said the Cloaked Schemer.

"Are you ladies still bickering about what to do?" drawled a familiar voice. Axel, hands in his pockets, strolled into the courtyard behind the team of would-be rescuers, dividing their attention for a moment. "In that case, I'll tell you the answer. It's easy. Just act, and let the consequences sort themselves out. Got it memorized?" he asked as he pointed to his temple.

"You took your time. Where's Demyx?" asked Lexaeus.

"Oh, c'mon, Lex! I was just doing a little sightseeing. As for the dumb hippie, he legged it. Somethin' must've scared him. He must've emptied his bladder before we left HQ, cuz I didn't find a trail to follow. Not that I really looked," Axel added with a shrug. He withdrew his hands and summoned Eternal Flames. "Well, shouldn't we get started, then?"

Zexion nodded. "Last chance, Thirteen. Come back with us in peace, or in pain."

Roxas looked straight into Zexion's cold, calculating eyes. Then his eyes flicked about, sizing up the other four Organization members in front of him. _'Upside, there are six of them and six of us,'_ he thought, _'Downside, I'm the only one who can fight near their level–except maybe the girl in the coat, but frankly scaring off Demyx isn't exactly a big deal–and I'm pretty worn down. I can't fight them all off, and Seifer's guys will only be in my way. Still…'_

"Shove it, Zexion," Roxas snarled, "We're going to thrash you and _take_ Naminé back."

"You're spirited," Lexaeus acknowledged, "But still weak. We'll roll over you."

Xion took a step forward and pointed Kingdom Key at him. "Come and try," she challenged. Larxene laughed mockingly. Marluxia looked intrigued.

"So smug…but for how long?" asked the Graceful Assassin, "Who's your little friend, Roxas?"

"Enough!" snapped Zexion, "She has a Keyblade, so we'll bring her in too. We've wasted enough time here." With that, he reached behind his back and produced the Book of Retribution and flipped it open. Vexen, Lexaeus, Marluxia, and Larxene armed themselves with Frozen Pride, Skysplitter, Graceful Dahlia, and Foudre, respectively.

"Seifer, I wore Axel down a lot more than he's letting on," Roxas muttered almost inaudibly to the other boy, "If you and your friends rush him all at once, you might be able to beat him. Leave the others to me and her."

Seifer grunted, "Don't underestimate me."

The members of Organization XIII fanned out, forming a wide circle around their opponents. Likewise, Roxas and his allies put their backs together to form an outward-facing circle. The wind picked up, rustling the leaves on the ground and making the grass sigh. The wind pushed aside the clouds obscuring the Sun, making the courtyard much brighter. The tension between the two sides was thick as everyone tried to decide whether it would serve them better to strike first or hold back to counter the other side's initiative. Just as Roxas was about to rush Lexaeus, because he was the toughest-looking one, something unexpected happened. There was a bizarre sound, like a popping and a slurping and a squishing all at the same time.

"What the _hell_ was that?" wondered Larxene, saying what everyone else was thinking.

"It sounded like a Gummi Ship exiting Warpspace," commented Vexen, looking skyward. Everyone else looked to the heavens as well. And Naminé positively _beamed_ around the gag in her mouth.

Because high in the sky was a beautiful black and yellow Gummi Ship.

To Be Continued…

* * *

Author's Note: Some of you will love this and some of you will hate this. Well, I'm not apologizing to anyone because haters gonna hate and lovers gonna love. I know I'm taking liberties with canon and junk, but it's all in the name of writing the most interesting story I can so let's just call it artistic license and try not to dwell and nitpick, shall we? Keep in mind that this story runs on the Rule of Cool and the Rule of Funny and was written strictly for funsies, and we'll all get along just fine. And I know that the way Xion got her name is a bit of a stretch, but it was the best I could come up with. Thank you for reading, and I hope the rest of your day is as fabulous as Marluxia.


	2. Escape from Twilight Town

**A Year Reclaimed.**

 **Chapter 2: Escape from Twilight Town.**

 **(Starring everyone's favorite Keyblade-wielding un-person…and her sidekick, Roxas.)**

* * *

"Well, this is interesting," commented Aerith, peering intently at the viewscreen of the Gummi Ship dubbed the _HBG Pilgrim_. 'HBG' stands for Hollow Bastion Gummi, by the way.

"What is it?!" exclaimed Sora, popping up next to her pilot's seat and trying to look at the screen.

"Is it the King?" asked Goofy, also popping up.

"Tell us!" demanded Donald, trying to crowd in as well.

"Guys, back off! Don't crowd the pilot!" Yuffie admonished playfully.

Leon just shook his head and tried not to laugh.

"There are six armed men–no, wait, one of them is a girl–actually, no, that's a man–wait, yeah, there is a girl, just not the one with the shield–and they're surrounding a group of kids. Most of the kids are holding bats of some kind, but two of them appear to be wielding Keyblades. There's a girl that's tied up down there, too."

" _Keyblades?!_ " Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Yuffie all chorused. Even Leon was visibly shocked, and no wonder. Keyblade Wielders were absurdly rare these days, Sora being the first new one to turn up in a while. The odds of two of them popping up out of nowhere in the same place was beyond astronomical.

"Mm-hmm," confirmed Aerith serenely. "It looks like one of them is dual-wielding, too," she added. This announcement left the others too shocked even for exclamations! "But here's the strange thing," she continued. Everyone decided they had better sit down for this one. "They're using _your_ Keyblades, Sora."

"Huh?"

"Or at least, it looks like them. One of the boy's Keyblades looks just like Oathkeeper, and the one in the black coat has Kingdom Key," Aerith clarified.

Sora looked as well, and his eyes bulged. "He's even got my new one, Oblivion!" Sora held out his hand and called Kingdom Key to him. Instead, he got Spellbinder. He tried again and got Pumpkinhead. He tried to summon Oathkeeper, and got Three Wishes. He finally tried to summon Oblivion, and got Diamond Dust. Just for kicks and giggles, he tried to summon Lionheart, and Lionheart appeared in his hand. "Well…that's a thing, I guess," Sora said to himself, not sure what to think. While he had been doing all of that, Leon had gotten up and leaned over to observe the stand-off below.

"It looks to me like the men in black coats are holding the captured girl, and the others must be trying to save her. I think…we should intervene. What do you say, Chosen One?" he asked, giving Sora that strange 'I'm mocking you, but not seriously because we're bros, not that I'll ever say so explicitly' kind of look of his. Sora jumped up to his feet and nodded affirmatively. Goofy lifted his shield, Save The King, and Donald raised his staff, Save The Queen, while Yuffie pulled her oversized shuriken out of nowhere and whooped. Leon picked up his Gunblade, Griever, from next to his seat and keyed the button to open the Gummi Ship's door, letting in a rush of wind. "Aerith, you know what you need to do," said Leon.

"Right," said Aerith with a firm nod. Leon jumped out first, followed by Sora, Donald, and Goofy, with Yuffie bringing up the rear. Using the ninja technique she called 'Hammerspace', Yuffie produced a massive handkerchief seemingly out of nowhere and used it as a parachute. Sora, Donald, and Goofy simply glided to the surface, while Leon just reduced his rate of descent by repeatedly firing blasts from Griever towards the ground. They hit the ground in the same order they'd jumped, everyone nailing a sick three-point landing except for Goofy, who somehow landed on his head, and Leon, who just hit the ground with his feet, Griever leaning across his shoulder, and slowly stood up with an aura of stone-cold badassery. They had landed in the courtyard, between Roxas and Co. and the Organization members.

"Where I come from," began Leon, leveling his Gunblade at Lexaeus (again, because he looked like the toughest mother-[BLEEP]) "Kidnapping is frowned upon. What do you delinquents have to say for yourselves?" he asked coldly. Lexaeus just grunted and leveled Skysplitter at Leon; at this distance, the tips of the two massive blades nearly touched.

Yuffie locked eyes with Larxene and grinned in anticipation of the Designated Chick Fight. Larxene grimaced for exactly the same reason. Goofy faced Vexen, and Donald faced Zexion. But instead of mean-mugging Marluxia, Sora decided to just go ahead and totally ruin the consistency of this paragraph by turning around and facing Roxas and Xion. Xion still had her hood up, and Roxas looked just as bewildered as Sora felt. They both felt like the other boy looked incredibly familiar, yet simultaneously completely foreign. "Hey, uh, I don't mean to rag on anyone but, uh…why've you guys got my Keyblades?" Sora asked.

"What? _Your_ Keyblades?" Roxas asked.

"Damn!" said Zexion in what was a very convincing emulation of being _completely and utterly melt-your-face-with-a-look pissed off_. "We have to pull back."

"No!" said Marluxia, "They're right there! We can take them on, all of them. We can _take_ Sora right here and now!"

"No, Eleven," insisted Zexion, keeping his voice low so the good guys couldn't overhear, "To win this fight we'd have to go all out, and we would risk destroying Roxas and Naminé in the process. Besides, the Superior would want as many Keybearers wandering around and slaying Heartless as possible. This was an unfortunate setback, but it's too late. We just have to make do with bringing Naminé back." With that, Zexion opened a portal behind them and reached for Naminé. But Yuffie was too quick, slinging a kunai at Zexion's hand. Unfortunately, it was intercepted by one of Larxene's knives.

"Not today, bitch!" the Savage Nymph declared…savagely.

"Oh, is that right, skank?" asked Yuffie, cranking back her shuriken and throwing it with all her might straight at Larxene. Larxene just smiled smugly and stood her ground. A shell of electrical energy sprang up around her, creating a magnetic field that caught Yuffie's shuriken and redirected it back at her. Yuffie ran forward and slid under the shuriken, springing back up to her feet and jumping at the female Nobody. With a flying tackle, the Great Ninja took the Savage Nymph down to the ground and screamed, "Now, Leon!"

"Are you sure?" Leon asked.

"What the [BLEEP] did you not understand about 'Now'?" Yuffie retorted, who was just barely holding a wildly thrashing Larxene in a headlock.

"Fine, fine," said Leon, who turned around and pulled Sora, Donald, and Xion (who looked the sneakiest thanks to her mysterious black coat) into a huddle and explained 'the Great Ninja Yuffie's Diversionary Tactic #8' to them. When he was done Sora was blushing, but he nodded grimly alongside Donald.

"Blizzaga!" shouted Donald, blasting a shell of ice into the sky.

"Firaga!" followed up Sora, sending a huge fireball into the air. Fire and ice collided directly above Yuffie and Larxene, resulting in them both being doused with a torrent of water…which conveniently turned the dirt under them into mud. Yuffie switched from traditional grappling to a more…energetic style. Soon she and Larxene were covered in mud and Yuffie had succeeded in cutting away most of Larxene's coat, making her slender figure more evident. On the sidelines, Seifer covered Vivi's eyes. Fuu covered Rai's eyes, but pulled out her phone and started recording. Donald stuffed his head into his own hat, while Goofy sat down and got intensely focused on polishing his shield. Roxas blushed and stared at his own feet, while Sora whipped out a camera he'd bought his first time in Traverse Town and started snapping pictures.

Noticing this, Roxas turned to his unbeknownst Other and said, "Have you no shame, man?"

"I'm fourteen…so no, not really. Besides, these pictures aren't for me. They're for Riku."

"Riku?" Roxas was almost certain he had heard that name somewhere before.

"My best friend. A guy doesn't see something like this and not take some pictures for his bro."

"I see…hey, uh, you mind if I take some pictures for Riku, too?" Roxas asked bashfully.

"Knock yourself out, man," said Sora with a grin as he handed over his camera.

"It's time to go, perverts," said Xion, who now had Naminé in a fireman's carry.

You see, while Yuffie and Larxene were at it, the other members of Organization XIII had been too transfixed to notice Xion sneaking around them to retrieve Naminé. They may have been emotionless manifestations of nothingness, but they weren't dead, and female mud-wrestling is still female mud-wrestling. Leon, the only one completely unfazed by Yuffie and Larxene's display, because he had seen Yuffie do far more outrageous things in his time, put a finger to his ear and said, "Aerith, go time in T-minus thirty."

" _Copy,_ " Aerith's voice crackled over the earpiece.

"Everyone, back up quickly but not too obviously," Leon ordered softly. He, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Xion, and after a brief moment of confusion Seifer and his crew all started backing up towards the gates behind them. Only Roxas remained, still snapping pictures. Sora quietly snuck back up to him, grabbed the back of his shirt collar, and dragged him backwards to the others. The spiky-blonde boy never even noticed.

High above this absurdity, Aerith sat in the cockpit of the _Pilgrim_. She had at some point donned a Vietnam War-era helicopter pilot's helmet, complete with headset and tiger stripes painted on. The countdown timer next to her viewscreen displayed a 10. In the background a kickass stereo system was playing 'War Pigs' by Black Sabbath. "Arming Megaflare cannon with Thundaga and Firaga core infusers," she said to herself as she flipped switches, twisted dials, and pressed buttons. She pulled a locket out of her shirt and opened it, revealing one of her most prized possessions: a Kodak moment she had captured of Cloud walking out of the shower wearing nothing but a towel over his lower half and the most adorably bemused expression on his precious widdle face. Aerith smiled and kissed the picture for good luck before stowing the locket again. The timer read 5. "Targeting coordinates seventeen, negative thirteen, and six." Aerith clicked a switch on the side of her helmet, feeding the next report to Leon's earpiece, "Target locked…firing main cannon."

Back on the ground, Leon shouted, "Run!" before turning around and beating feet through the gate and into the woods. Everyone else followed suit, Sora taking back his camera and tucking Roxas under his arm like a football rather than wait for the other boy to come back to his senses.

"Wait, what?" said Axel, finally tearing his eyes away from the mud-wrestling spectacle and realizing that _eleven people had just ran past him without him even noticing_. Before he could do anything about it, a tremendous burst of blindingly bright raw energy, augmented by fire and lightning, erupted from the Gummi Ship's cannon and slammed straight into…the mansion. Now, given that the Megaflare cannon alone was intended to deal significant damage to the largest of Gummi ships, it was pretty mercilessly effective on an old dilapidated mansion that had never had any special reinforcement against artillery fire in the first place. All that was left was a large smoking crater and tiny fragments of charred debris scattered over a wide radius. All of the Organization members had been knocked off their feet and deafened by the blast wave. Yuffie, who had rolled herself under Larxene at the last second, threw her disoriented wrestling partner off and sprang up to her feet, quickly yanking out and discarding a pair of industrial quality earplugs. "Y'all just got _ninja'd_! Deuces!" she cried as she popped a victory sign and threw down a smoke bomb. The noxious green smoke that was released blinded and gagged the already shaken-up Nobodies.

"Damn it, they distracted us with the sexy!" Marluxia screamed in outrage. "Even me! And I'm the sexiest one here!"

"Enough!" Zexion ordered, "After them!"

While Zexion, Lexaeus, and Vexen were still regaining their bearings, Marluxia grabbed Larxene and dashed away, reddish-black glowing flower petals trailing in his wake. They recovered quickest because they were the most pissed off; Larxene because she had not only gotten dragged into a Designated Chick Fight, but also because she had been used as a distraction against her comrades in the process (talk about rubbing salt in the wound, eh?), and Marluxia because he had been distracted by beings less fabulously gorgeous than himself. As they dashed through the gate they were joined by Axel, who was the least disoriented due to being the farthest from the blast. He was also pretty pissed because, again, eleven people had run right past him and he'd been completely oblivious. Stupid sexy mud-wrestling. The trio was halfway through the woods when they heard a voice shout, "GRAVIGA!"

A black sphere appeared overhead and pulled them up off their feet before slamming them back into the ground so hard that for a moment they were literally, cartoonishly, flattened. Before they could recover, a strangely squawky voice chimed in, "THUNDAGA!" All three of them were struck by lightning, but Larxene was mostly unaffected…except that more of her already scant clothing was blasted off, heightening her rage. Sora, Donald, and Goofy dropped out of the trees, joined by Roxas and Xion.

"Five on three, eh? What a bunch of dirty cheaters," Axel drawled with a sardonic grin.

"It's certainly unfashionable," agreed Marluxia, brushing a lock of pink hair out of his face.

"Enough!" snarled Larxene, who was covered in mud, disheveled, almost-completely undressed against her will, and to top it all off she'd had to miss today's episode of Jerry Springer to answer Zexion's call for reinforcements. "No more [BLEEP] bantering, let's just cream the [BLEEP] punks, grab the [BLEEP] little [BLEEP] and her traitorous [BLEEP] boyfriend, and go the [BLEEP] home already!"

For a moment, no one seemed to know how to react to Larxene's outburst…then Sora held up his camera and snapped one more picture. "You mad, Sis?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

A massive streak of cobalt-blue lightning screamed down from the heavens and struck Larxene, sheathing her in a crackling shell of just-barely restrained electrical energy. "I…am going…to _literally…vaporize_ you," Larxene said in a calm voice that belied the blinding, unyielding, murderous rage that seemingly consumed every fiber of her non-being. She pulled out Foudre, but instead of wielding the knives between her knuckles like she usually did, they began to levitate around her in the intense magnetic field of her lightning-armor. Axel and Marluxia shared a look, and nodded. They began to surreptitiously sidestep, tracing a wide circle around the others.

Without warning, Larxene literally moved like lightning, trailing a wake of crackling blue sparks as she flash-stepped across the distance between her and her imminent victims. She was so fast that Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Roxas couldn't even track her movements…but Xion did. She got between Larxene and Sora and deftly deflected her deadly daggers with decisive…dexterity? Anyways, Xion tried to counterattack by thrusting at Larxene's stomach, but as soon as Kingdom Key touched Larxene's electrical aura she was blasted backwards by a devastating discharge. Donald hit the dirt while Sora and Roxas jumped aside to avoid being bowled over by the Xion-cannonball. Goofy, on the other hand, spread his arms out and caught her, and they both slammed into a tree so hard that it started falling backwards.

As they got up, Sora and Roxas noticed Axel and Marluxia, and they noticed Sora and Roxas noticing them, and they burst into a dead run towards town. "Donald, Goofy, back up the girl with the hood!" Sora instructed. Seemingly of one mind, he and Roxas sprinted after the two fleeing Nobodies.

"Gawrsh, are you okay, Miss…uh…?" asked Goofy.

"It's Xion," she replied, "I guess I need to take this one seriously…you two, go with your friend. I can take this one."

"Are you sure?" asked Donald.

"I can handle it," Xion said confidently. "Go. Sora and Roxas will need you more than I."

' _Another chick fight,'_ Larxene thought dejectedly. Then she shrugged. As long as her victim screamed satisfactorily, she would be content.

Marluxia and Axel had almost reached the hole in the wall between the woods and Twilight Town proper when Sora and Roxas dropped down from above, each crushing a perfect three-point landing before standing up and facing the villains with arms folded boldly across their chests. "It's not nice to chase after girls, you guys," Sora stated righteously.

"Yeah, it makes you come across as _really_ creepy," Roxas contributed.

Taking a step forward, Sora called Divine Rose to his hand and pointed it at Marluxia and said, "Now, you guys don't seem _ugly_ , exactly, so I'm betting it's your personalities that repulse them."

Roxas took a step forward and pointed Oblivion at Axel while holding Oathkeeper in a reverse-grip behind his back, and added, "So why don't you go home, cry to your mommies about how none of the cool kids like you, and ask them for some pointers on acting like proper gentlemen." The two Keybearers shared a fist-bump without looking away from their imminent opponents.

"Would you get a load of these guys?" Axel asked of his cohort, "Trying to tell us how to behave."

"Especially with regards to the affections of the ladies," agreed Marluxia with an acidic smirk, "I bet neither of you have even _kissed_ a girl before, eh?"

Roxas blushed and averted his eyes…

But Sora just grinned audaciously and winked. Roxas stared at him with wide eyes. Sora nodded at him and said, "Oh yeah, I've got some stories…but being as I'm a _gentleman_ , I choose not to kiss and tell."

"Oh, enough of this juvenile banter," sneered Marluxia. "We've got a witch to catch, and we can't let these peasant hoodlums stand in our way."

"Well, you heard the man," Axel said with a shrug, "It's been a real joy fighting you, Roxas, but all good things must come to an end."

"Yeah, see if you still feel that way after I give your ass the pounding you've been begging for," Roxas boasted.

Sora turned to his new ally with an aghast look and said, "Dude, _phrasing_."

Roxas blushed again, "Uh, sorry. That sounded better…uh, less creepy, in my head."

"You're lucky Riku isn't here; that would've given him ammo for _days_ ," Sora said as he shook his head.

"Days?" asked Roxas.

"Literally… _days_ ," confirmed Sora. Then, with no warning whatsoever, he closed the distance between himself and Axel, who hadn't been expecting _that_ , and smacked Divine Rose into his chin. "FIGHT TIME!" the exuberant brunette declared as Axel sailed high into the sky. Almost instantly, Sora was floating in the air above him, smacking him back down with the oversized bulk of Metal Chocobo. At the same time, Roxas rushed headlong at a distracted Marluxia and hit him with a one-two combo that he quickly strung into a ten-twenty combo; as a finisher, he swept Marluxia off his feet with Oathkeeper and launched him into the air with Oblivion. Marluxia collided with a descending Axel, and Sora targeted them both with, "Graviga!" Upon landing Sora switched back to Divine Rose and took aim at the two Nobodies who were still pinned to the ground. "Blizzaga! Firaga! Thundaga!" A blast of ice encased the two, only to be almost immediately melted by a huge fireball…which brings us to the lightning.

"Wow…brutal," murmured Roxas as he observed the duo twitching and throwing off sparks in the middle of a puddle.

"It should keep 'em down for a minute," said Sora modestly, "C'mon, let's go see how your friend is–"

Before Sora could even finish the thought, the air was ripped apart by a screaming thunderclap as a solid streak of blindingly bright blue energy drove Xion through several trees and into the ground, stopping just inches from Sora's feet. She valiantly tried to get up, only to fall flat on her face again. She started up again, and Sora and Roxas each grabbed an arm and hauled her up. Her hood had fallen back, and for a moment Sora was struck dumb by the black-haired girl's resemblance to Kairi. Her face struck a chord with Roxas as well, though he couldn't think why. "Having trouble?" he asked.

Xion didn't push them away so much as she pushed herself back. She started dusting off her coat and said, "You could say that. She's giving it her all, but there's no way she can keep it up for much longer. Everyone has a limit."

Before I could make Sora or Roxas crack a joke about Limit Breaks, Larxene stalked onto the scene, prowling between the trees as her now-unnaturally bright eyes locked onto her target. She broke out a wide slasher's smile and extended a hand that she began charging up with a ball of lightning, when she noticed something odd. Roxas and Sora were gawking at her with open jaws, but they didn't look very terrified. In fact, she was pretty sure Roxas was drooling a little. Larxene looked down at herself, and for about four seconds her vision completely blacked out as her brain refused to process what her eyes were seeing. But it was true, no matter how much she didn't like it. She was now completely and totally nude, as a result of her overcharged high-voltage electrical attacks vaporizing what little clothing she had retained. She caught a flash and her head snapped back up. Roxas was holding up Sora's camera again and was furiously snapping pictures as fast as he could, a cheesy grin plastered all over his mug.

Once again, Larxene's rage broke, but this time it was too much for her overtaxed brain to handle so it decided to throw the emergency shut-off switch instead. She passed out right there, crumpling to a heap.

* * *

In the middle of Tram Common, three portals of darkness opened up and Zexion, Vexen, and Lexaeus emerged. They immediately noticed the crowd of people gawking at the Gummi Ship that was hovering less than twenty feet above the ground. Rai was already near the top of the rope ladder hanging off its side, climbing with Naminé hanging onto his neck and using only his hands. Fuu and Vivi were not far behind him. Donald, Goofy, Seifer, Yuffie, and Leon remained on the street. "Dude, you're brave and all, but you should _really_ get up there with your buddies," Yuffie said to Seifer.

"Forget that," Seifer grunted, "This is still my town, and no one's running me out of it. Not today, not ever."

"These guys aren't to be taken lightly," said Leon, "They're cold and merciless, I can tell."

"I'm not afraid," Seifer insisted, gripping his bat all the tighter.

"No…just a fool, and that's even more dangerous." Leon caught Yuffie's eye and winked. Yuffie nodded grimly and palm-chopped Seifer in the back of the neck. He was knocked out instantly, and Yuffie hoisted him up under her arm and started climbing up the ladder with one hand. She glanced back down and said, "Hey, be careful…Squall."

"It's still Leon," said Leon, giving her just the most fleeting ghost of a smile. Yuffie rolled her eyes; he only did that when he knew she was in no position to whip out her camera. The smile was already gone when he turned back to face the Nobodies. He glanced in turn at Donald and Goofy, and they all exchanged firm, incredibly manly nods of resolve before raising their weapons and facing off against the enemy.

Zexion took a step backwards and snapped his fingers. Vexen ran up first, swinging Frozen Pride back and forth and spraying a wave of icicles. Thrusting Save the Queen forward like a baton, Donald shouted, "FIRAGA!" and released a fireball of immense power. Instead of letting it fly free, however, Donald yanked back on his staff like a fishing rod, and the fireball stopped in midair and spread out like a wall. All of the incoming icicles were absorbed, melted, and evaporated by the Fire Wall. From out of the flames, however, leaped a black knight on an armored horse, charging at them with a wickedly pointed lance leveled.

Leon stepped up, but Goofy ran ahead instead, shouting, "My turn!" He charged forward, Save the King raised, and fully slammed the mighty shield into the head of the knight's lance. Goofy's strength, cultivated by the training of a Royal Disney Knight and augmented by the powerful enchantments of the shield, halted the black knight's advance completely. Next, Goofy swung up with his shield, uppercutting the horse and forcing it to rear up on its hindlegs. Goofy hit the ground and Donald swung out with his staff, sending a shimmering orb of raw power careening right into the mounted knight. With the tinkling sound of a thousand tiny cracks, the horse and rider both shattered and exploded like glass sculptures. Goofy looked confused and scratched his head. "Gawrsh, Donald, was that supposed to happen?" he asked, turning to face his friend.

"It was an illusion! Don't turn around, you id–GOOFY!" Donald shouted as Vexen jumped through the flames sheathed in an aura of cold so intense that it sucked up all of the heat and snuffed out the fiery defense. Goofy turned around, but he was too slow to react. Vexen smashed his shield across Goofy's face, then again from the other side, then again, and again, and finally slammed Frozen Pride full-on into Goofy's chest, sending him flying back to his friends. "Goofy, no!" wailed Donald. "Curaga!" he shouted as he waved his staff over Goofy's battered and frostbitten form. His injuries healed, but not as much as they should have. "Curaga! Cura! Cura! Cure! Cu–"

"Stop it, you're just wearing yourself out," barked Leon, "You guys must still be drained from your final battle with A…with the Seeker of Darkness. Get him up to Aerith, she'll sort him out."

"Ri–right," Donald stammered, dropping his staff and pulling the battered knight up and leaning him against his shoulder. "Come on, buddy," he said to the still mostly-unconscious knight, "We've come too far to just fall apart now." He grabbed the bottom rung of the ladder with one hand and held onto Goofy as tightly as he could with his other arm. "AERITH! PULL THE LADDER UP!" the mystical duck shouted at the top of his considerable lungs. She must have heard him, because the ladder started cranking up.

"Alright, just you and me," Leon said to Vexen, his frigid tone of voice giving even the Chilly Academic himself pause. If there was one thing Leon didn't hold with, it was people hurting his friends. That, and Yuffie swiping the last _takoyaki_ , but that's neither here nor there.

"And me," added Lexaeus as he calmly strode up alongside his comrade with Skysplitter resting on his shoulder.

"And me!" exclaimed Yuffie, dropping back down from the Gummi Ship.

"And us!" exclaimed Sora as he ran onto the scene, Roxas and Xion close behind.

"Tch. Five against three? You guys really don't like to play fairly, do you?" remarked Zexion, leafing through his book casually.

Leon frowned and took a step forward, "You think this is a game? You–"

"Nope," interrupted Sora, casually stepping forward. "No, sorry Leon, sorry everyone else, I'm sure you all had a lot of banter and rhetoric left in you, but you know what? Nope. I'm too freakin' exhausted to put up with this nonsense anymore. I've been fighting Heartless and lame bad guys for _months_. This week alone I've fought an evil sorceress, then I fought her again as a _fire-breathing dragon_ , then I fought my best friend who was possessed by the guy I was hoping would be able to help me figure out how to make the Heartless go away for good, except it turned out he was the bad guy who created them all in the first place, and I just got done fighting Ansem for what felt like all day long," the young Keybearer rattled off. "So I'm sorry, I really am, but no. This ends now. I'm going to end this, and then I'm going to take a power nap that'll make every other teenager in the universe jealous and they won't even know why, and _then_ I'll get started on the next big item on my to-do list."

Before anyone could dare say anything else, Sora summoned the Ultima Weapon and struck a pose. Without knowing how, Roxas instinctively recognized this pose from the dormant memories Naminé had unlocked within him. Xion did as well, and the three posed together and shouted as one, " _Trinity Limit!_ "

What followed was a display of power so overwhelming that Yuffie and Leon's brains couldn't even process what they were seeing. All the audience could see was a blinding flash of light, and then the Nobodies were gone. All that was left were a few pages drifting in the breeze. Off-screen, a kid named Pence had tried to snap a picture of this glorious spectacle, but his camera had promptly exploded, leaving his face covered in soot and his hair blown backwards. Sora almost immediately sank to his knees, forced to stab the Ultima Weapon into the ground and use it to hold himself up. Roxas and Xion, neither of whom had come close to Sora's level of endurance yet, were similarly winded despite being far less drained beforehand. "Yeah…let's not do that…again for a while, okay?" gasped Roxas. Xion just nodded, afraid that if she opened her mouth she would hurl.

Leon and Yuffie exchanged a look of bemusement. "Guys," said Yuffie, "We should get lost, before more of these guys crawl out of the woodwork." Leon nodded. The _Pilgrim_ dropped its ladder again and Leon and Yuffie stood sentry while Sora, Roxas, and Xion climbed aboard. Yuffie started up the ladder, and after picking up Donald's discarded staff and making one more sweep of the area for signs of danger, Leon followed her.

The citizens of Twilight Town watched from their hiding places as the _Pilgrim_ retracted its ladder, sealed its hatch, ascended higher into the sky, and then disappeared in a flash of light accompanied by what sounded like someone had recorded the sound of the world's biggest bubblegum bubble popping in a howling gale and then played it back in reverse.

* * *

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: What the hell? Someone needs to put out an Amber Alert on all those teenagers Leon and Aerith just abducted.

Okay, real-talk for a sec. I just want to say that the reviews, follows, and favorites I've already gotten have meant a LOT to me, seriously. I started writing this a long time ago, even before I started _The Others Who Were Lost_ , but I spent forever deliberating whether or not to post it because, for all my DGAF-swagger, I was really worried about how peeps would react. Mostly because I had Namine magick Xion into existence. But seeing as no one has even mentioned that yet, I guessed I was fretting for naught. Speaking of _The Others_ , those who are reading that needn't worry. I'm still working on it, it's just taking me longer than expected. In the mean time, I'm working on this to help clear out my mental dustbunnies. Eternal thank-yous to Blue Bragon, Luna Lillyth, Autological03, and the anonymous Guest who have reviewed this story so far, for assuaging my fears and encouraging me to carry on. This whole chapter is dedicated to you guys.

Next chapter is heavy on the exposition, but the pay-off will be two or three chapters of sweet, glorious ass-kickery.

Wolfman, ow-out!


	3. The Transit

**A Year Reclaimed.**

 **Chapter 3: The Transit.**

 **(In which Naminé puts her Bachelor's Degree in Exposition to good use, and Roxas throws a tantrum…wait, how is that different from what they normally do?)**

* * *

The interior of the _HBG Pilgrim_ had two different atmospheres. The first was that of weariness and battle fatigue exuded by Sora, Donald, Roxas, Naminé, and the kids from Twilight Town who had hopped aboard out of fear that those loonies in black would continue to target them after the others had gone. The second, almost overshadowing the first, was an air of calm and tranquility that was enforced completely by Aerith, who was still tending to everyone's injuries, and her stereo, which was now playing ten hours' worth of soothing bamboo flute music. Yuffie was taking a nap in a sleeping bag she had inexplicably produced, Leon had taken Aerith's place at the helm, Goofy was fully healed but still unconscious, and Xion was staring expressionlessly out of a viewport at the vibrantly pinkish-purple hues of Warpspace; it looked kind of like the inside of a Fruit Gusher.

Silence reigned until Seifer stood up and said, "Okay, I've got questions. Who _are_ you people, what _is_ this thing, _where_ are we going, who were those weirdoes back there, what did they want with _you_ so badly," he pointed at Naminé, "And when will it be safe for us to go home?"

"That's your cue, Sora," said Leon.

"Me?"

"Of course. You understand the situation as well as anyone could."

"Actually…" Naminé stood up, "I think I'm the one with the most answers here." She looked around at everyone and adjusted her white dress. _'Now is not the time to be nervous,'_ she chided herself. She took a deep breath and began, "Those people were agents of the Organization. Organization XIII, to be precise. They are a collective of Nobodies."

"Nobodies?" questioned Sora, "They seem pretty tough for 'nobodies'."

"No, not like that. A Nobody is…do you know what makes a person?" Naminé asked.

"Uh…a bunch of squishy guts and bits wrapped around a skeleton, stuffed inside a skin?" Sora guessed.

Naminé giggled. "No, Sora. That's just what makes up the body. To get a _person_ , you also need a heart, a soul, and a mind. The body only gives you form; the heart gives feeling, the soul gives life and will, and our minds make us who we are."

"Oh, right. That makes sense," said Sora.

"Well, as you know, a Heartless is born when a person loses their heart. The body, the soul, and the mind fade away, leaving only the darkness of the lost heart to take form. But, if the person in question had a very strong will, these remnants come together to take on a new form. This is a Nobody, because although they have bodies, souls, and minds, they still lack hearts and are therefore not truly people."

"Wait, what's a Heartless?" asked Seifer.

"A being of pure darkness, born from the darkness left behind when a person loses their heart," replied Aerith as she rubbed salve on one of Roxas's burns.

"Which brings us to your first question," said Naminé, "These people; Sora, Donald, Goofy, Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie are all warriors who fight the Heartless."

Aerith smiled and said, "I'm just a flower girl, actually."

Leon scoffed, "If you're 'just' a flower girl, then Yuffie's just a sneaky kid and I'm just a guy with an attitude."

"You guys aren't from Twilight Town, that's for sure," said Seifer, "Where did you people come from?"

"Hollow Bastion, which is where we're heading now," replied Leon.

"I came from the Destiny Islands," interjected Sora, "And I'll be going home as soon as I find Riku and help Donald and Goofy find their King."

"We're from Disney Castle," spoke up Donald, sitting next to Goofy's immobile form.

"I've never heard of any of these places," said Seifer skeptically.

"They're different worlds," said Naminé, "Once, long ago, all worlds were one. Then there was a great war, and when it was over the worlds were divided, as they remain to this day. That's the short version, anyways. But the worlds are still connected, in a way. They're connected by Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds, the source of all light, the place where all hearts are born and where the hearts of the dead return. The Organization plans to create their own Kingdom Hearts in order to give themselves new hearts…or so Xemnas would have them believe."

"Who's Xemnas?" asked Sora.

"Organization XIII's No. 1, the Superior of the In-Between…Xemnas," replied Naminé, "He's the Nobody of Xehanort, one of the apprentices of Ansem the Wise, the former king of Hollow Bastion. Ansem began researching peoples' hearts, and was captivated by the idea of Kingdom Hearts. Unfortunately, Xehanort was just as interested in the darkness in peoples' hearts, and when Ansem realized how dangerous their experiments were he ordered them stopped. But Xehanort wouldn't listen. He convinced the other apprentices to join him in continuing their work. When Ansem the Wise found out he tried to stop them, but they banished him to the Realm of Nothingness…and then turned themselves into Nobodies, giving up their hearts in exchange for great power. They took new names, and Xehanort's Nobody became Xemnas; his Heartless was the being calling itself 'Ansem' that you fought. They recruited new members, until six became thirteen. Hence their name…or rather, there _were_ thirteen, until…"

"Until what?" asked Sora, hanging on every word.

"…never mind…it's not important," said Naminé. Roxas looked to her in confusion, but she locked eyes with his and shook her head. "What matters is that they needed Roxas and me for their plan, but we escaped them, and now they're after us. That's why I called you to help us."

"You did?" asked Sora.

Donald gasped, "You're the one who was messing with our memories! You're some kind of witch, aren't you?"

"Donald! That's not very nice to say," said Sora.

"No, he's right. I am a witch, and I do have the power to affect peoples' memories…within certain parameters," said Naminé.

"What kind of parameters?" asked Donald suspiciously.

"That's not important right now, and in any case I don't really know myself," Naminé lied, "I only had a few weeks to practice with my power before I found the journal. Xemnas's journal."

Here, Roxas jumped in, "The journal contained details about the creation of Organization XIII, and Xemnas's _real_ plan. He could care less about regaining a heart; he only wants Kingdom Hearts for its power, and he's using the rest of the Organization as pawns."

"If that's the case, why didn't you show the journal to them? Undermine Xemnas's power and turn his followers against him," suggested Leon.

"Xemnas would have destroyed us," said Naminé simply, "None of the Nobodies have hearts of their own, but even so Xemnas is a special kind of ruthless. Everything he sees falls into one of three categories: things he can use to further his plans, things that might get in his way, or things that just don't matter either way. In other words, everyone and everything in the universe is either an asset, a liability, or completely irrelevant to him, and nothing more. There is no gray area…it's actually a little intimidating how absolutely he's fixated on Kingdom Hearts. It's as if he were the physical embodiment of an obsession. The others mistakenly believe that what drives him is his desire to restore their hearts, so they follow him with fanatic loyalty."

"So…wait, what did he need you and Roxas for?" asked Sora, scratching his head.

"Well, I can alter people's memories, or erase them, or even fabricate new ones, and Roxas is a Keybearer," Naminé explained. "I'm not sure what he had in mind for me," she lied again, "But I doubt it was any good. As for Roxas…well, Xemnas discovered a way to create an imitation of Kingdom Hearts by amassing a tremendous collection of hearts, and the fastest way to do that is to let the Heartless steal them and then destroy the Heartless with a Keyblade. Now that you and the King have sealed away the real Kingdom Hearts, Xemnas will have to settle for an imitation Kingdom Hearts."

"This all sounds ridiculous and made-up," said Seifer, "Why don't you people come clean and explain what's really going on here?"

"It's the truth," said Aerith, "Ansem the Wise was our king, once upon a time. And because of his research into other worlds and the secrets of the heart, all of this has come to pass."

"Except that based on what we've just learned, it sounds like this 'Xehanort' guy was the real cause of everything," said Leon. "Did Xemnas's journal tell you anything more about him?"

Naminé sat back down next to Roxas and yawned. Tucking her legs into her seat, she rested her head on Roxas's shoulder and adopted a thoughtful expression. "Well, I only got a chance to read some of it, but I think the first few pages were written by Xehanort himself, before he gave up his heart and split into Xemnas and the Heartless that called itself Ansem. He mentioned something called a 'χ-blade' and people named Terra, Aqua, Ventus, and Vanitas. I…didn't really understand all of it, I think it was just a summary of something he probably recorded in detail in an older journal, but it seems that Terra, Aqua, and Ventus were Keybearers-in-training, and Vanitas was some kind of 'prototype' Nobody, I think. One thing that was clear was that, even though these people all disappeared years ago, they were somehow connected to the things Xehanort's Heartless did, and…to Xemnas's plot." As Naminé spoke, her voice grew fainter and her eyelids started drifter lower.

"Hey, relax," said Roxas, putting an arm around her shoulders, "You've had a long day. You should rest, Naminé."

"Yeah, okay…thanks, Roxas…sorry…" she mumbled before completely passing out right then and there.

"Sorry?" Roxas questioned.

"For all the trouble she's caused, I should think," scoffed Seifer. Roxas glared at him.

"Look, I don't know what your crappy attitude is all about–"

"Oh, don't you?" asked Seifer acidly.

"–but while you may think of her actions as 'troublemaking', the fact of the matter is that Naminé risked her life to make sure _someone_ knew what the Organization is up to. Someone who can do something about it. Xemnas will do anything, sacrifice anyone, and if necessary, destroy _every_ thing just to get the power of Kingdom Hearts. And if he'll do all that just to get more power, I really don't want to think what he plans to do when he gets it. Somehow, I have trouble believing he has noble intentions, call it a gut feeling," Roxas added sarcastically.

"What about you?" asked Sora, "It seems to me that you've risked as much as she has."

"Well, yeah, but…I'm no one of consequence. I just want to do the right thing, that's all," said Roxas.

"And what about Xion?" asked Sora, turning to Xion, "What's your story?"

Xion was sitting backwards in her seat, and as mentioned earlier she was looking out at Warpspace. Without turning to face Sora or otherwise acknowledge the question she just shrugged and said, "I don't know. It hasn't been written yet." Before anyone could say anything to this, something on the control console started beeping. Leon peered down upon the blinking light and frowned.

"Cid's calling us," he noted.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Aerith as Leon keyed the switch to open the video-communicator. She gasped and covered her mouth in shock when Cid's face appeared on screen. He had several ugly gashes on his face, one of his eyes was swollen shut, and he was bleeding from the mouth. Sora jumped up out of his seat, calling Oblivion to hand without realizing it; he felt cold and hot inside at the same time, shock and blind, spitting rage fighting for control of his feels. Leon looked unusually calm…the same way the water looks calm just before a shark jumps out and eats your face.

The screen zoomed out to reveal that Cid was tied up in a chair. Standing on his right was Marluxia, smirking arrogantly with his right arm curled around Graceful Dahlia and his left elbow resting on the back of the chair. On Cid's left was Larxene, cleaning out her fingernails with one of her knives with a smug cat-smile on her face. "Hello there, _heroes_ ," Marluxia greeted, "We knew you'd be on your way back here to good old homey, _homely_ , hovel-riffic Hollow Bastion…so we figured we'd go ahead of you and roll out the red carpet."

"The _bloody_ red carpet, that is," put in Larxene.

"Right," agreed Marluxia, "You see, it's bad enough that you've taken away our dear little friends, Roxas and Naminé–

"Hey there, Roxas~," Larxene interjected in a sing-song voice when Roxas walked up to join Leon, Aerith, and Sora around the screen.

"That was bad enough, but then you had to go and _embarrass us_ ," Marluxia continued, his faux-genial demeanor evaporating. "We will have our revenge on you…but for now, I must turn you over to our 'team captain' on this little outing. Presenting Organization XIII's No. 7, also known as the Luna Diviner–"

Roxas's eyes widened, and he said in a horrified whisper along with Marluxia's boastful tone as the screen panned to the left to reveal…

" _Saïx._ "

The wolfish-looking scar-faced amber-eyed bluenette stared blandly into the screen and inclined his head slightly. "I'll keep this simple. Turn over Roxas, Naminé, Sora, and the girl with the Keyblade as soon as you land, and we will leave your world intact. No one else will be hurt, and your friend here needn't suffer further. That is the sum of my ultimatum. If you resist, we will cut you down like so much wheat. And if you should falsely promise cooperation now in hope of catching us off guard, know now that not only will such an obvious tactic fail, but we will slaughter everyone else here and obliterate this entire world out of spite. I am aware of how petty that must sound to you, but frankly I don't give a damn. You've stepped on our toes already; press your luck, and Organization XIII will step on _you_." Saïx next looked directly at Roxas and said, "You and Naminé have caused trouble enough as is. Cease your childish selfishness and come home before you bring more innocent bystanders down with you…No. 13."

Sora gasped this time, Leon gave Roxas a critical look, and Aerith just stared. Ignoring their reactions, Roxas slammed his hands on the console and got in Saïx's face…well, you know what I mean. "I'm not one of you! Not anymore. I don't know what the heck I am, but I will _not_ be a tool. I won't be an instrument to further Xemnas's goals! Leave everyone else be and face me alone, Saïx. Mono et mono, if you've got the stones."

"Your bravado doesn't faze me, No. 13, nor will I indulge your feeble attempt at machismo. As I said, cease your selfishness, or you will find a good deal of blood on your hands. That is your last warning," said Saïx coldly. The screen went dead before Roxas could muster a retort. The blonde (and now exposed) Nobody clenched his fists and his jaw started twitching. Sora, reflecting that Roxas was acting just like he did when he was two steps away from losing his temper, unconsciously stepped away from him.

"Damn it!" he screamed; Oblivion appearing in his hand, he slammed it down into the console. "That [CENSORED] damn [CENSORED] smug little condescending [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] Moogle [CENSORED] I'm gonna [CENSORED] and his stupid [CENSORED] face, too!" he cried out as he repeatedly tore into the console with his Keyblade. Leon jumped up and grabbed him, pulling him back.

"Okay, I get that you're mad, kid, but it's a really bad idea to beat up the ship while we're flying it. Doubly so while we're Warping. Aerith?"

Aerith, who had taken Leon place at the helm, apparently didn't need to hear any more than her name to know what he wanted. "We're three minutes out," she reported.

Leon sighed. "Sora, wake Yuffie up and fill her in. Donald, try and rouse Goofy; I know he must still be exhausted from all this fighting but we'll need all hands on deck for this one. Aerith…"

"Yes, Leon?" Aerith asked. Leon didn't respond; he seemed to be thinking hard. "Leon?"

"Open the comm. channels and…see if you can get a hold of…"

"I understand," Aerith interjected solemnly, turning to the console and working quickly at dials and keypads, "I hope we catch a lucky break."

Leon let go of Roxas, who seemed to have dialed himself back from boiling over to simmering. He looked out the viewport into the endless expanse of Warpspace. "Hold on, Cid…we're coming."

To Be Continued…

* * *

Author's Note: I didn't want to write too long a chapter, so instead of trying to break up the upcoming action I figured I'd use this chapter to try and get all the characters caught up with what's going on in the story so far. Next chapter, the Battle of Hollow Bastion. I'll try to get through it with just one chapter, but it might take two. It definitely shouldn't take three, but if it does stretch out to a third chapter it'll only be half action and half setting-up-the-next-arc. If I get enough reviews I might be able to post the next chapter as early as this weekend...

Also, yes, I'm aware that Roxas and Namine never met during the first week of his life, and that they were kept in two completely different castles. There is a reason for that, which will eventually be elaborated on. And as always, thank-yous to Blue Bragon, Luna Lillyth, Autological03, Andonexus KotD, and the anonymous Guest who have thus far reviewed, and further thank-yous to all who have followed and/or favorited this story. While I do love and cherish all of these things, reviews are what I crave most of all as I need feedback to sharpen my writing skills. So please, everyone who reads, don't forget to review. I want...no, I NEED to know how I'm doing so I can continue to create satisfactory content for YOU, the readers.

Wolfman, Ow-out!


	4. Battle at the Bastion

**A Year Reclaimed.**

 **Chapter 4: Battle at the Bastion.**

 **(Now with 20% more Final Fantasy referencing. And a shout-out to the badass-iest Spaniard ever, of all time.)**

* * *

The viewports were filled with white light, and then the unnaturally vibrant pinkish-purplish hues of Warpspace were replaced by the darker, star-studded, purplish-black backdrop of Interspace. The forward viewport was filled by the rapidly approaching world of Hollow Bastion. "Huh," said Sora, "It's only been a day, but…it looks different."

"Gee, Sora, you're right!" said Goofy, "It looks a lot nicer now."

"Because we beat Ansem…I mean, Xehanort's Heartless, right?" said Donald.

"It's been two days since you left, actually," corrected Yuffie, who was strapping metal guards onto her shins and forearms. She was wearing a belt stocked with short, thin scrolls, she had two holsters crammed full of kunai strapped to her ribs, and she had four of her iconic large shuriken attached to her back. Sora wasn't sure why she bothered when she usually displayed an uncanny ability to draw her weapons out of thin air, but he guessed it was her way of showing that she was taking _this_ fight seriously. Sora frowned; he had seen her fight in Traverse Town against low-level Heartless, and he had fought against her for sport in the Coliseum, but he didn't think he had ever seen Yuffie fight seriously before. As a (younger) kid he had heard wild and fantastic stories about the combat prowess of ninjas, and since meeting the bubbly young kunoichi he had wondered how much merit there was to them, or if Yuffie was really a ninja or just played at being one. Reflecting that she wasn't much older than he was, and that she had been living in Traverse Town ever since the darkness had taken Hollow Bastion, and that Traverse Town didn't seem to have any other ninjas about, Sora wondered where she had actually trained to become a ninja. Then he reminded himself that _it_ was going to hit the fan in just a moment and that he had more important things to worry about than Yuffie's ninja credentials. Her nin-cred. Heh.

"A few hours ago, the world started changing," supplied Leon, "Pieces that had been missing reappeared…usually where they belonged. And people started coming back out of literally nowhere. The Princesses disappeared, but I'm pretty sure that was just because they were returned to their own worlds."

"So beating that Heartless guy really set everything in the worlds back in order, huh?" Sora summarized with a satisfied smile. 'S' is a really fun letter to alliterate.

"More or less," said Leon, "I don't know about the other worlds, but Hollow Bastion is still pretty rundown. It'll take a couple years to restore it, at the very least."

"So what's the plan?" asked Roxas, who was practicing his newly acquired dual-wielding ability in the background.

"We land, we find the Nobodies, and we kick their no-asses," Leon replied, his anger so thinly veiled he might as well have been openly raging.

"I like it," said Seifer, who was sparring with Xion. "Simple, straightforward, easy to remember."

"Hey," spoke up Vivi, "Do you think Naminé could make all of us better fighters like she did with Roxas?"

"Yeah, we won't be a whole lot-a help against these Organization types otherwise, y'know?" said Rai.

"It'd help," agreed Fuu.

"If she could–and I don't know if she could–she can't do it right now," said Roxas, "She needs to rest before she can use her power again."

"And anyways, power earned through experience is a lot better than power given for nothing," said Sora sagely, thinking back to Possessed-Riku and Maleficent-the-Dragon.

"Wow, that actually sounded profound," Yuffie complimented, "Don't tell me saving the worlds turned you into a grown-up, Sora."

"Aw, shucks," Sora laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't count on it, sister," said Donald, "He's still the same thickheaded little kid."

"Hey!" Sora squeaked, blushing furiously.

"Gawrsh, Donald, don't be like that," said Goofy. Sora looked up at his friend in hope. "After all, he's not _that_ little, next to you," the knight cruelly followed through. Sora blushed even harder and crumpled to the floor, completely deflated.

"You…guys…" he croaked, "Who needs…the Heartless…with you around?"

"Aw, don't be a baby," Donald chided, "If we didn't pick on you now and then, your ego would run away with you." The Royal Magician started laughing, and soon the others joined in.

"To the Darkness with all of you," Sora whimpered melodramatically as he curled up into the fetal position. The laughter intensified. Even Leon chuckled, his dark mood alleviated a bit. As soon as he did, Sora sprang back up to his feet and fist pumped. "Woo-hoo! We got Leon to crack! High fives all around!" he crowed. He, Donald, Goofy, and Yuffie all exchanged high fives, which soon escalated into some nonsensical game of four-way patty cake, which then devolved into a light-hearted slap-fight between Sora and Yuffie, which got another rise out of everyone.

"Alright, alright, enough fooling around," squawked Donald, "We've got a fight to win!"

"Right," said Leon, "Aerith, set us down there. Cid and everyone else are waiting for us to save the day."

* * *

"So, what do you think the odds are?" asked Axel, tossing one of his chakrams up and down to entertain himself. He and Saïx were in a room near the top of the castle's highest tower. Cid was also in the room, still tied to his chair, and a handful of Axel's Assassins were there on standby. Just in case. Axel knew that one of the Keybearer's allies was a bona fide ninja, so he wasn't going to be caught with his pants down…so to speak.

"Of what?" asked Saïx, who was looking out the window; far below was a courtyard filled with Hollow Bastion's recently returned (and extremely confused) citizenry, corralled by a platoon of Dusks, Creepers, and a few Berserkers.

"Of them fighting back. Duh."

"You know Number 13 better than I do."

"Oh, c'mon, Saïx, don't start acting like the boss again. You know damn well his name is Roxas. And I don't know him _that_ well; we did a couple recon missions together this week to get his feet wet, but that's it. I know him about as well as Demyx and Xigbar do…where the hell did Demyx even go, anyways?" the redhead asked himself.

"Regardless of what _13_ does, I think we can count on the Keybearer to put up a fight. The Superior is expecting it. We will target his friends until his will to fight has broken, and we will bring him, and 13, and the witch, to Castle Oblivion. The mysterious girl who showed up in Twilight Town can go as well; I'm sure 4 will want to learn more about her."

"Roxas, Sora, _Xemnas_ , Roxas again, Naminé, and Vexen," said Axel with a seemingly irritable tone, "Why the flaming crap are you so allergic to people's names these days? If you ever call me '8', I'm going to burn you bald and give you a permanent mustache tattoo. Got it memorized?"

"Hmph." Saïx caught sight of something on his periphery and looked up; the _Pilgrim_ had appeared in the sky and was rapidly descending. "Lea, notify the others. They're here."

"What?! They are? Hot damn, it's about time!" said Axel with a wild grin, summoning Eternal Flames and sprinting out the door. The Assassins filed out after him.

Saïx took another moment to observe the descending Gummi Ship, hoping to identify its landing point. "I thought he'd never leave," he heard Cid rasp behind him. Saïx turned around just in time to see Cid, still tied to the chair, bull-rushing him. The Nobody had just enough time to realize what was happening and for his eyes to widen in genuine surprise, before the bound and gagged but not quite incapacitated man slammed bodily into him, sending them both crashing through the window and tumbling down ninety feet of empty air.

And Cid Highwind hooted and hollered to beat all hell the whole way down.

* * *

The _Pilgrim_ touched down in an empty courtyard and Leon stepped out, followed by Sora, Donald, Goofy, Yuffie, Roxas, Xion and Seifer. Rai, Fuu, and Vivi had been directed to stay aboard the ship with Aerith and Naminé. They didn't like it, not even Vivi though he felt a bit relieved if he were being honest with himself, but they agreed when Seifer insisted that someone needed to keep an eye on Naminé and their emergency escape route. "No offense kid, you've got guts in spades, but that plastic bat of yours really isn't going to help much," said Yuffie.

"Don't underestimate me," Seifer sneered, "Those punks threatened me and my friends, and I'm gonna see they get what's coming to them. I know I'm in over my head, but I'm no chicken-wuss."

"Can't blame you there," said Sora, "You're a brave guy, Seifer, even if your attitude stinks."

"Ah, shut up, Smiley," he muttered.

"That's Sora," said Sora in a gruff Leon impression. Yuffie snorted and clamped a hand over her mouth. "You like that? I practiced it on our way to the End of the World."

"It sounded just like him!" Yuffie squealed, no longer able to contain her giggles. "Do another one!"

"Okay," said Sora. He put on a serious face and posed with Lionheart, holding it the same way Leon held Griever, "I came here to kick ass and chew Moogle Gum, and I'm all out of Moogle Gum."

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Yuffie pealed, slapping her leg.

"So there's thirteen of you and only one of me?" Sora asked no one, "Sucks to be you guys."

"Stop it, you're killing me!"

"I hope you guys brought your own lunch, because it's gonna be a _long_ day. You're a disease…and I know Cure. Call me the Leonator; I'll be back…I have to reload my Gunblade."

"I can't breathe!" gasped a hysterical Yuffie.

Leon whirled around and glared at them, instantly shutting them both up. "We need to be quiet; the enemy could be anywhere."

"TOO LATE, BITCHES!" screamed a familiar voice. Everyone looked up and saw a certain redheaded pyromaniac standing atop a pillar with his arms crossed.

"Good job, Sora," Xion deadpanned, giving him an ironic thumb-up.

"Heh, sorry," Sora said with a sheepish grin. He put on his serious face (his real serious face, not his 'making fun of Leon' serious face) and said, "Hey, I recognize that guy."

"Organization XIII's No. VIII, known as the Flurry of Dancing Flames…Axel," said Roxas.

"Hey, Roxas! What's up, ya ballsy little punk," Axel greeted with a grin, "You know, I'll be honest; even though we didn't have long to get to know each other, I thought you were a cool guy. And I won't lie; I'm actually pretty impressed with you. Turning your back on the only friends you've ever had, risking your life in the process, and taking off into the totally unknown, all just to make time with some treacherous little hussy. That takes _stones_ , man."

"Don't talk about Naminé that way!" screamed Roxas, slashing Oathkeeper through the air. An arc of light shot out, slicing through the pillar Axel stood on. The pillar toppled but Axel jumped down and landed lightly on the ground, still grinning casually. "Temper, temper, Roxy boy. But c'mon, seriously; haven't you ever heard the old saying, 'Bros before hoes'? It's not cool, stabbing your pals in the back just cuz some girl told you to. If you're gonna betray someone, you ought to have a legitimate reason. Got it–"

"SHUT UP AND DIE!" Roxas roared, stabbing both of his Keyblades into the ground. A pillar of light shot up into the air in front of him, followed by another, and another, and soon a whole chain of light-pillars were racing towards Axel. Axel slashed out with one of his chakrams, sending out a burning arc that shattered the light-pillars like glass.

"Clearly, you've forgotten about the vast gulf of experience between us, little buddy," Axel drawled. "That's something you really _should_ commit to memory. And if you need help, I'll be happy to _BURN IT INTO YOU_!" he shouted, snapping his fingers. A huge wall of flame erupted in front of him and rushed towards the eight heroes, and Sora and Donald stepped forward together and shouted, " _BLIZZAGA!_ "

The wall of flames was flash-frozen into a wall of solid, wickedly sculpted ice. Roxas and Xion stepped up, throwing all three of their Keyblades at it; they impacted and the wall shattered into little bitty bits, but–

"Where'd he go?" asked Seifer; Axel had vanished.

"UP HIGH, DIPSHITS!" the pyro's voice screamed above them. Axel was standing on his chakrams high in the air above them, two jets of flame holding him up.

"I've got him," said Xion calmly, cranking her arm back and slinging Kingdom Key at the airborne Nobody with a cry of, "Strike Raid!"

Unfortunately, the Keyblade soared right past Axel's head, missing by inches. "Ha! Takes more than a pretty face to win a fight, kid!" Axel taunted. Xion just smirked…and disappeared in a burst of light.

"Behind you…Strike Raid!" Xion shouted from behind Axel. He turned around just in time to catch Xion's second throw right in the chest.

"Wow, she called _herself_ to the _Keyblade_!" exclaimed Sora. "Huh, I never thought of that."

"Strike Raid! Strike Raid! Strike Raid! JUDGMENT!" Xion called out, throwing her weapon again and again. The first blow had knocked him off of his chakrams, the succeeding two had sent him flying with ever increasing speed towards the ground, and the final blow had smashed him into the ground so hard it left a small crater. Axel started to stand back up, but was just as quickly struck by a speeding Sora.

"Sonic Rave! Sonic Rave! Sonic Rave! Sonic Rave! _SONIC BLAST!_ " the heroic brunette called out, punctuating his devastating assault on the redheaded pyro. With the last attack he launched Axel into the air, where he was intercepted by Roxas, who landed a blistering midair combo on his foe before kicking him back.

"Strike Raid!" Roxas called as he threw Oblivion, taking aim with Oathkeeper and adding, "Ragnarok!" Axel reoriented himself in midair and summoned Eternal Flames just in time to block Oblivion, but the bolts of orange light fired from Oathkeeper blasted him out of the sky. As Axel began to fall once more, Sora, Xion, Leon, and the others all began to gather round, ready to unleash a beating most heinous, but they were halted in their tracks by a single word, from a single voice.

"Enough."

The earth shook, almost as if responding to the power and gravity of that solitary spoken word. He walked into their midst, stepping out from behind a crumbling wall. A lone figure, his mountainous physique concealed by his black coat, his every footfall carrying the purposeful weight of an executioner on his way to the chopping block. Spires of earth shot up out of the ground, trapping the adventurers in place while the newcomer pulled his hood back and drew that tremendous axe-sword, Skysplitter, from within his coat. Roxas landed between him and the others, holding up his Keyblades defensively. "Organization XIII's Number V, the Taciturn Stalwart: Lexaeus," said Roxas.

"The hell's your problem, Roxas?" asked Larxene, stepping through a Corridor of Darkness that opened next to Lexaeus. "You were one of us, like, five minutes ago," she commented. "Why the sudden hatred, huh?"

Stepping out after her, Marluxia added, "Maybe he's just a hater? Haters gonna hate, you know."

Sora, in the meantime, was wracking his brain looking for a way out of his predicament. The crisscrossing spires of stone made it impossible for him to move his arms or legs, or even to bend his elbows or knees. Casting Blizzaga with Donald had taken up most of what little energy he had left after fighting Ansem…or, as it turned out, 'Xehanort's Heartless'. And his fatigue was making it harder to recover that energy. In fact, he was feeling pretty rundown, but his anger at what they'd done to Cid was more than enough to bolster his resolve. The old Gummi Ship engineer was one of his friends, and it'd be a cold day in Agrabah before Sora let…wait a minute…

"GENIE!" Sora screamed at the top of his lungs. Sora's fallen Keyblade started bouncing up and down, a rainbow riot of fireworks shooting out of it, and in a huge puff of blue smoke the Genie appeared hovering in the air before him.

"Hey, Sora! How ya doin', little buddy?" he asked warmly.

"Eh, can't complain. Well, actually, I'd be doing a lot better if I weren't…you know…stuck like this."

"Oh, you don't say? Well, let's just see what I can do about that, huh?" asked Genie, who snapped his fingers. Nothing happened. "Whoops, looks like this is a clapping type of problem," he said sheepishly, holding up both of his big blue mitts and clapping them together with gusto. All of the stone spires dissolved into heaps of sand…which then swirled around and rose up into the shape of a swan. Fire gushed up around it, instantly turning it into glass. "Now _that_ will look _amazing_ on Jasmine's lawn, don't you think?" Genie asked Sora.

Sora smiled and gave his magical pal a thumb up, "Looks good to me, Genie. But there's kind of a battle going on here, so you might wanna get it out of here before–"

 _CRASH!_

"–it gets…broken…" Sora trailed away. The beautiful glass swan was shattered, having been shot through by Larxene's knives, one of which had shorn off its head.

"Larxene! Was that really necessary?" asked Marluxia, "That was a _magnificent_ swan."

"I hate [BLEEP] birds. I don't give two shits how pretty they are," retorted the Savage Nymph.

Genie's jaw dropped. Then his face scrunched up and turned red, and steam started whistling out of his ears, and it looked for all the world as if he were about to throw an epic tantrum. Then, he abruptly transformed into a blue likeness of Droopy Dog and said somberly, "That makes me mad." Droopy-Genie snapped his fingers, and Larxene disappeared in a puff of blue smoke. In her place was a flamingo with a seriously pissed-off expression. Some of its head-feathers stuck up to form Larxene's iconic antennae.

"Larxene! What have you done to her?!" demanded Marluxia, pointing Graceful Dahlia at Genie.

Genie resumed his normal form and said, "Well, it would _appear_ that I gave her a much needed dose of karmic irony…oh, I just had an idea!" Genie snapped his fingers again, clapped twice, and threw in an armpit noise just for good measure, and in another puff of blue smoke Larxene the Furious Flamingo disappeared entirely. "I just remembered the most charming little world where flamingoes are held in the highest esteem…as sporting goods, that is."

"You bring her back, right now!" Marluxia ordered.

"Make me!" retorted Genie. "Oh wait, you can't, because I! Am! Outta here! Toodle-loo!" And with that, the inimitable Genie Formerly of the Lamp disappeared in another puff of blue smoke, accompanied by another riotous release of fireworks.

"Damn it!" Marluxia seethed. He slashed at the air with his scythe, opening a Corridor of Darkness.

"Marluxia, she can wait," said Lexaeus sternly, "We have a job to do here."

Marluxia's grip on his scythe tightened, and for a moment it looked like he might argue…but then he exhaled and the Corridor evaporated. "Fine. Let's end this," he growled. Without any further warning, he disappeared and reappeared in the midst of our heroes and lashed out with a full-circle swing of his scythe. With a quick, smooth motion, he hooked the blade of his scythe around Yuffie's neck. "Everyone drops their weapons and submits to the will of the Organization, or the girl's head rolls."

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Roxas all looked stricken, and Seifer cursed under his breath while Xion appeared largely unfazed, though she at least frowned at the sudden turn of events. However, to everyone else's surprise–especially Marluxia's–Yuffie started giggling and Leon just snorted. "You idiot…do you have any idea who that is you're threatening?" the Gunblade-slinger asked.

Ignoring the question, Marluxia repeated himself, "Stand down, all of you, or I _will_ shear her head from her neck!"

Leon shook his head. "You'll have to catch her, first."

"What are you talking about? Are you as blind as you are hideous? I _have_ –huh?!" Marluxia exclaimed in shock as he turned to see who was tapping on his shoulder…and found himself face-to-face with his erstwhile hostage. He looked back and saw that a life-sized straw dummy of Yuffie was slouched against his scytheblade. It had button eyes and everything. "What even?" he asked himself, properly flummoxed.

"Guess I have to answer my own question," said Leon, richly amused. "That would be the one and only Great Ninja Yuffie."

"Ah, knock it off, Leon; you'll make me blush!" said Yuffie, "Seriously though, don't you dare stop; keep telling them how awesome I am."

Marluxia growled and swung his scythe at Yuffie, who smartly ducked. "You guys gang up on the big and serious one; I can take this one solo, no problem," remarked Yuffie, who continued to evade Marluxia's elegantly poised bladework. He gave it everything he had, but he was no match for the young ninja's leet skillz; she was always skipping just out of his reach, often making faces at him just because.

"Yuffie's got him right where she wants him," Leon accurately noted, "I'll take the other one…the rest of you, try to find that blue-haired guy and Cid."

"You got it!" said Sora, "C'mon everyone!" He sprinted out of the courtyard, followed by Donald, Goofy, Roxas, Xion, and Seifer. Lexaeus moved to pursue with a slow, heavy gait, but Leon quickly stepped into his path, Griever resting on his shoulder. The two locked eyes, and a sort of warrior's empathy passed between the two of them; without having to say a word, they both understood that the other would sooner die than yield. Neither man was much for speeches, so they decided to let their weapons talk for them, and they both aimed their blade at the other at the same time. And by some unspoken agreement, as if responding to a psychic signal, the two stoic swordsmen began charging each other at the same instant.

Marluxia suddenly found Yuffie had slipped behind him, hooking one arm around his middle while her other hand plucked a scroll from her belt. "You dare put your filthy–" was all he had time to spit out as Yuffie unfurled the scroll with a one-handed snap; the scroll spiraled around them and the kanji on it glowed, and then in a flash of light the combatants disappeared.

' _Good luck, Yuffie.'_ Thought Leon as he locked blades with Lexaeus.

Meanwhile, Axel hauled himself back up to his feet and tried to shake off what he feared might be a concussion before taking in his surroundings. Lexaeus was locked in mortal combat with the Gunblade wielder, and he spotted the others running off in the distance. Axel snapped his fingers and one of his Assassins popped up next to him. "Go tell Saïx that he's got company coming his way." The Assassin jerked its head forward before disappearing again. Axel conjured up his fire-empowered weapons in his hands and set himself after the escaping do-gooders, moving as quickly as his building headache would allow.

* * *

"–hands on me?!" Marluxia finished as he and Yuffie rematerialized in the middle of what appeared to be the blown-out ruins of a martial arts dojo. Caught off-guard by the unexpected change of scenery, Marluxia looked around. "Where the hell are we now?"

"Still on Hollow Bastion," said Yuffie, "So nothing to worry about there." She stepped away from the Graceful Assassin, moving towards the wall. "This was the training hall I used to go to; where I began studying the ninja arts." Her voice was uncharacteristically calm and level as she gently pushed aside a deteriorating shrine, exposing a hidden alcove near the base of the wall. "Say, I just realized you haven't told me your name yet."

Marluxia scoffed. "There's no point giving my name to someone who's about to become a notch in the handle of my Graceful Dahlia," he taunted, pointing the aforementioned scythe at her back. He was tempted to strike her down right now, but he wasn't going to make the mistake of underestimating her reflexes again, no matter how distracted she seemed.

"Your scythe is named after a flower?" Yuffie asked. Before Marluxia could defend his abundant-yet-misunderstood masculinity, Yuffie went on, "That's cool, so is this." She stood up and turned back to face the rose-haired Nobody, showing off the dagger she had just recovered. Its scabbard was decorated with modestly beautiful flower designs, which immediately caught Marluxia's attention. "You seem like a flower person…on a completely unrelated note, I have to know, is that your natural hair color? You know what, never mind. This blade is named Sakura…you know what that means?" Yuffie asked as she slowly, almost tenderly, drew the dagger out.

"Cherry blossom," Marluxia replied, his pseudo-anger subdued by the sight of the well-cared-for steel, "A flower symbolic, especially by _that_ name, for the fragility and fleeting transience of life itself."

"Roxas told me they call you an assassin," Yuffie remarked, "As a ninja, I guess that means we have something in common."

Marluxia nodded, and then, after considering it for a second, "I am Marluxia, the Graceful Assassin, Organization XIII's Number Eleven."

"Well in that case…hello, my name is Yuffie Kisagari," replied Yuffie, bowing to her opponent. When she straightened, Marluxia almost flinched at the icy steel in her eyes. "You hurt my friend," she said, her voice matching her eyes, as she posed with Sakura held behind her back and a large four-point shuriken in her other hand. "Prepare to _die_." For just an instant, Marluxia was so moved by the young ninja's palpable aura of killing intent that he took a step back; if he truly couldn't feel fear, then right now he was 'remembering' it very vividly. Then Yuffie's expression broke as she flashed a blinding grin. "Kidding~" she sang, "I just wanted to quote one of my favorite movies...but seriously, I'mma getcha good for roughing up the old dude."

Marluxia chuckled and took a ready stance with his scythe. "Well, it's been a while since I had such an _interesting_ opponent…let's get started!"

Without further ado, ninja and assassin rushed to meet each other, both disappearing at the last second and reappearing behind where the other had been. Yuffie threw her shuriken at Marluxia, who swung his scythe and hooked the projectile, following through with a spin that launched Yuffie's weapon back at her. Without breaking stride she jumped up and skipped off of the shuriken, pulling a fist-sized ball out of the pouch at her side and throwing it down at her foe. Marluxia's eyes narrowed and he skipped backwards to avoid the ball, which struck the ground and exploded into a cloud of obscuring smoke.

Marluxia kept backpedaling to stay out of the smoke, and belated realized that he had stopped tracking Yuffie's movements. Instinctively he sprang to the right to avoid Yuffie's attempt to stab him in the back with Sakura, its blade parallel to the ground. Despite the complete miss, Marluxia felt a sudden breeze caress his side, and looked down to see that a deep gash had been cut in the side of his coat. Marluxia frowned, thinking he must have been a hair or two slower than he had thought. _'Well, we can't have any of that,'_ he thought, _'If Larxene saw this, she'd never let me hear the end of it.'_ He shuddered as he imagined the vicious insults she would unload on him. Marluxia raised his scythe and rushed his foe once more.

* * *

Every time Skysplitter struck the ground, the whole courtyard shook, almost making Leon lose his footing more than once. Every time Skysplitter struck Griever, Leon felt like every bone in his body was going to shake right out of his body. He was trying to decide which one bothered him more. What was worse, every time Lexaeus blocked _his_ attack, he didn't give so much as a millimeter and pushed Leon back hard enough to send him skidding halfway across the courtyard, while making it appear effortless on his part. Leon suddenly felt as though he were fighting a damn mountain.

Frustrated, Leon jumped straight up and roared (almost like a lion, heh) at the top of his lungs as he swung Griever down with all of his strength, pulling the trigger to enhance the speed and power of his swing with the force of a gunshot. Rather than let Leon break himself against the ground, which would have been the smart thing to do, Lexaeus decided to _completely_ demoralize his enemy. Raising Skysplitter overhead with a quickness that seemed contrary to his slow-going demeanor, the Taciturn Stalwart caught the diving strike, and he felt a pang of surprise as his knees shifted just a hair, but he didn't let it show on his face, and he didn't let his arms give a bit. With the full measure of his strength, he shoved Leon back with more than enough force to send him crashing straight through a weather-worn wall.

Leon skipped off of the ground a couple times, and then rolled until he struck the base of another wall. Leon thought he could see Chocobos running in circles around his head, going, "Kweh! Kweh! Kweh!" Shaking his head clear of the hallucinatory birds, he grabbed a convenient crawler-vine and hauled himself up to his feet. His everything felt sore, but he shrugged it off and lifted Griever. Just then, Lexaeus completely toppled the wall he'd thrown Leon through with a single swipe of his blade, and then stepped over the rubble to approach his opponent with a decidedly Terminator-y stride.

Leon brushed a stray lock of sweaty hair out of his face and laid Griever across his shoulder in a one-handed grip; his standard 'I'mma getcha and look stone-cold doing it, son' pose. Like hell if he was going to let this guy beat his ass _and_ out-cool him doing it. As Lexaeus drew nearer, a sudden thought bolted across Leon's mind; if _she_ were here, she would probably laugh at him for try-harding again. And the thing is…she would be right. But then, she _wasn't_ here, and that was his own fault, wasn't it? Leon frowned. "Never again," he said softly, mostly to himself. Then he looked straight at Lexaeus and said louder, "You're here to hurt my friends–you've hurt one of them already–and to take one of them away. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not going to lose anyone _ever again_."

Lexaeus paused and returned Leon's cold stare. Then he grunted, "Bold words. I'll be sure to engrave them on your headstone." As he spoke, a red aura of power began to build up around him. Then Lexaeus unexpectedly broke into a bull-run, charging his opponent as he roared, "My power has no limits!" Lexaeus swung his axe-sword in a single, beautiful one-hundred-and-eighty degree arc that would have cleaved Leon in two, but the Gunblade wielder smartly crouched and deflected the blow by blocking with Griever at an angle, forcing the strike to skew up over his head.

Then, as the wide swing left an amazed Lexaeus wide open, Leon pulled his weapon in to his side and thrust straight into Lexaeus's stomach. The Nobody gave a soft grunt as the shock of pain from the sudden impalement drove the wind out of his lungs…but he did not falter. Instead, he gripped Leon by his arm and held Skysplitter up with one hand. "A good effort," Lexaeus acknowledged, "But not good enough." Lexaeus brought his weapon down on Leon like a falling comet, and just before it struck everything turned white–

" _Oh, what now? Is my life going to flash before my eyes, or something?"_

" _Oh, Squall…you're way too serious. Lighten up. Bit off more than you could chew again, didn't you? Don't worry, I'll lend a hand."_

–and then Leon's vision cleared, and the first thing he noticed was that Lexaeus was sprawled out on the ground, knocked out cold. Leon himself was sitting down at the base of the wall, Griever laid across his lap. All of his aches, sores, scrapes, and bruises were gone, and he felt like all of his expended energy had returned. "…what?" he asked himself, blinking in shock. A single, stark-white feather drifted into view, and Leon reached out to catch it without thinking. As soon as he touched it, it shattered into tiny motes of light, and his blood froze and his heart quickened when he heard _her_ tinkling laugh. Leon jumped up to his feet and started looking all around. "That's…impossible," he muttered. He looked up to the heavens.

Just in time to catch a glimpse of a shooting star.

"Could it be?" he asked himself, hardly daring to hope, as a single budding tear threatened to spill out of the corner of his eye. Then he heard an explosion in the distance, and he snapped out of his reverie. Shouldering Griever, he ran off towards the noise. He spared Lexaeus one fleeting glance and a dismissive grunt. He wasn't so lowly as to slay an unconscious foe, but he _really_ hoped he bled out.

* * *

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: I wonder how Selphie feels about _feel_ trains…yeah, so, 'Eyes On Me' popped up in my playlist while I was writing this chapter, so that's probably how that one scene snuck its way in; well, no, that scene was meant to be there the whole time, but hearing that song while I was writing it probably inspired me to write a little…feels-ier. If you've got no idea what I'm talking about, you should look it up on YouTube. It's a FF VIII song, so it might not hit you as hard if you haven't played that particular game (and if that's the case, why the hell are you still wasting time reading this? That's a _way_ better story than anything I could come up with). But even so, it's still a damn feels-y song. In fact, I rate it as one of my Top Ten Feels-tastic Songs from a Video Game Soundtrack.

Uploading this early to make up for Friday's short chapter. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited. Hope you enjoy...and if you don't, well, thems the breaks, yo.

Wolfman, ow-out!


	5. Showdown at House of Blue Leaves

**A Year Reclaimed.**

 **Chapter 5: Showdown at House of Blue Leaves…wait-a-minute.**

 **(If you** _ **somehow**_ **didn't get the reference, you need more Tarantino in your life. Like, right now. You're about three seconds away from a fatal Tarantino Deficiency, I'm not even joshing you bro.)**

* * *

Leon emerged in what he suspected used to be town square, where he found the redheaded pyromaniac _über_ -bishie member of that unholy bishounen coven known as Organization XIII–Axel, by name–locked in combat against Roxas and Xion, a.k.a. the somehow-simultaneously-more-hardcore- _and_ -more-emo versions of Ventus and Kairi. Roxas and Xion were using their best Evasive Maneuvers while Axel repeatedly threw his chakrams at them. The fiery projectiles chased them down doggedly, like some kind of dick-ass homing missiles, and every time they struck something they released a massive explosion before reappearing in Axel's hands. Axel himself was cackling madly as he watched his weapons tracking the Keyblade wielders. Leon was momentarily torn by indecision; to help, or not to help? Such was his question.

On the one hand, he hardly knew these two and had other, much dearer comrades who might need his assistance. He wasn't too worried about Sora, Donald, and Goofy; those three had earned their badass-stripes in his book, and they must have become a well-oiled butt-whooping machine after everything they'd been through. Yuffie had been his sidekick for years, and while he knew how capable she was he didn't know how long she'd hold her own in a one-on-one fight against an enemy as fierce as the Graceful Assassin that Roxas had described to them back on the Gummi ship. And Seifer…well, he hoped he was with Sora, or otherwise laying low. Leon had no idea why, but for some reason he worried about that kid. And then of course there was Cid, whom as far as he knew still needed rescuing from that blue-haired-and-wolf-faced bastard.

On the _other_ hand, Leon was supposed to be a hero, and heroes didn't pick and choose their good deeds according to personal preference. If someone needed your help, you helped them; you didn't pass them by on the off-chance that someone you liked better might need you. A hero did whatever they could, _right here and now_. Those were the unwritten rules, as old as heroism itself. Or rather, as old as the concept that a hero should be driven by a moral compass rather than a simple compulsion to piss off the gods, slay monsters, and steal their virgin sacrifices and/or treasure horde for themselves. Leon sighed, and then shouldered Griever as he sprinted into the square.

Axel took notice of his approach, and narrowed his eyes in contempt. "It's not bad enough that these brats had to gang up on me; now you're throwing in too, huh? You're all piss-poor sportsmen, you know that?"

"Invading our world, harassing innocent bystanders, and torturing an old man," said Leon, barely keeping a rein on the ominously smoking volcano full of manly rage in his heart. "Is it all just _sport_ to you freaks?!" he demanded. Without waiting for a reply, he swung Griever and pulled its trigger, sending a burning red projectile at his enemy.

Axel called one of his chakrams back to his hand, and with it he casually slapped Leon's missile aside. "Now, now, there's no need to call names. I'm a sensitive guy, you know," he jeered, putting a hand over his…over where his heart would be, "Personally, I didn't think much of this plan either. See, it was all Saïx's idea. He really wants to deliver all these little Keybearers to the Superior all nice and wrapped up in a bow. Me, I think they're more trouble than they're worth…but what the Superior wants, he gets. It's just that simple." He fixed a condescending smirk at Leon and started tapping his temple, asking, "Got it memorized?"

"Memorize this," Leon snarled, raising one foot and slamming it down into the ground. A large chunk of rock blasted straight up, and Leon stabbed his blade into it before pulling the trigger. The rock shattered into a cloud of high-velocity pebbles not unlike buckshot. Axel's eyes widened and he threw his head back, howling in pain as the rocks ripped through him and blasted him backwards. Seeing the golden opening presented to them, Roxas and Xion both changed course and sprinted towards him. Before they could attack, however, Axel recovered and summoned a wall of flames around himself. This didn't deter Roxas, who vaulted over the flames and once again began trading blows with his fellow dual-wielder.

Xion looked to Leon and said, "Thanks, but you should go on and see if anyone else needs you. We can handle him."

"You sure?" the Gunblade-slinger asked.

"Certain," said Xion with a quick grin. Then she put her game face back on and joined Roxas and Axel in their dance of destruction. Leon shouldered Griever once more, and exited stage left.

* * *

Yuffie crashed through the front wall of the dojo and rolled to her feet in the middle of the debris-strewn thoroughfare. Her scythe-swinging adversary was showing no sign of tiring, and in fact his bladework was getting quicker and closer to the mark all the time. The dojo had suddenly felt rather stuffy, what with him cutting up all the air, and Yuffie had felt the need to get out of there and get some space. Marluxia was quick to follow, however; his stride was also very Terminator-y, but if the Terminator were strutting down a runway while flipping his swag hair. Marluxia's coat had acquired even more gashes, but so far Yuffie had failed to draw first blood. To her credit, however, he hadn't scored a solid hit on her yet, either. Despite only one of them being a bona fide ninja, it appeared they were near-equals in the 'ninja speed and reflexes' department.

Yuffie jumped straight up and went all-out, flinging shuriken, kunai, smoke bombs, flashbangs, and elementally-charged scrolls at her implacable foe. Marluxia scoffed and took the time to brush a single gorgeous pink tress out of his face before he reacted to Yuffie's barrage. A sudden whirlwind of softly-glowing petals sprang up around him and he jumped, the petal-twister carrying him up even higher than Yuffie. _'Crap,'_ Yuffie thought, _'That was a lot of distraction fodder to waste on a clean miss. Goddamn beautiful asshole, anyways…wait, what?'_

Marluxia's petals carried him over Yuffie and from there he dropped, Graceful Dahlia raised for an overhead swing and a savage smile on his face. Yuffie, who was ninja enough to realize that anime fight tropes were the only thing that could help her against an enemy _this_ bishounen, decided that this was a perfect opportunity for a mid-fight motivational flashback.

 **Let's all do the Timewarp!**

 _Eight year-old Yuffie tripped over her own feet as she chased a dog around and around the dojo floor. A pointy-eared ten-year-old prickly-prick by the name of Edge started laughing his butt off as Yuffie did a running faceplant that left a skid mark on the floor. The dog, Interceptor by name, did a very good impression of rolling his eyes as he bounded back to his master, and the master of Radiant Garden's one and only ninjutsu dojo, Shadow, who was playing The Lonely Shepherd on a bamboo flute. Without letting it upset his immaculate flute-playing, he dopesmacked Edge into silence. Yuffie, her face burning red and not just from friction, got up and blinked back tears of frustration as she walked over to kneel in front of Master Shadow. Shadow took the flute away from his lips and asked in the same deep, gravelly voice that he used to tell Death to go to hell on a near-daily basis, "What did you do wrong, Kisagari-chan?"_

" _I tripped on my shoelace," the child replied miserably._

" _Why were your shoelaces untied, Kisagari-chan?" the Master asked next._

" _Because I slept in late, and I didn't want to miss class," Yuffie replied honestly. This was her third year training in Shadow's dojo, and she had learned long ago that trying to lie to him was an exercise in futility._

" _Your assignment was to catch Interceptor, as I told you it would be yesterday. Would having properly tied shoes improved your chances of success?"_

" _Not the way she runs," Edge muttered. The next sound he made was that of crashing through a wall as Shadow one-inch punched him across the room. There was no backsass tolerated in his dojo._

" _Yes…probably," Yuffie replied._

" _And would being late, by the small margin of time that it would have taken you tie your laces, have so greatly hurt your chances of success?"_

" _Well…no, I guess not," replied Yuffie, finally working up enough courage to look up at her sensei._

 _Shadow laid one roughly calloused hand atop her head with surprising gentleness. "Yuffie-chan…you have the makings to be a great ninja someday, but only if you learn to prioritize the success of your mission over all other immediate concerns. When a ninja has a mission, they must not think of themselves. Keep this in mind, always, Kisagari-chan."_

 **Back…to the future! Part Three because it was legitimately the best one.**

' _Wait, that doesn't help me very much,'_ Yuffie thought as Marluxia continued to descend in dramatic slow motion. _'I need to come up with something better soon because the Rule of Drama isn't going to buy me much more time!'_

 **Let's all do the Timewarp AGAIN!**

 _Yuffie, age thirteen, grunted as the wind was knocked out of her by Leon's wicked backswing, which had sent her flying into the side of a building. Nearby sat Cid and Aerith, the former sparing her a mocking laugh before looking back down to his newspaper while the latter winced in sympathy. Leon sighed and rested Griever against his shoulder. "Time out," he called, "Yuffie, when are you going to learn that the only way to defend against a stronger opponent is to–_

Unfortunately just then, Marluxia, being the evil and uncomfortably gorgeous devilish-devil that he was, slashed clean through Yuffie's flashback. Fortunately, it was a shallow cut and only Yuffie's top was damaged. Gravity, cruel mistress that she is, reasserted her dominance over the two combatants and pulled them back down to earth. Calling upon her ninja-like catness, Yuffie landed on her hands and flipped down to her feet. Marluxia, calling upon his reality-warping sense of style, landed on just one foot…on his tip-toes, no less! "Well, Ms. Kisagari, this has been fun," he said with a charming smile that did weird things to Yuffie's insides. _'Mother[BLEEP]ing bishounen with his unholy bishie voodoo, anyways,'_ she thought. "But I have more important things to attend to, so I'm afraid I have to," he lifted his scythe and struck a dramatic pose, "cut this short. And by this I of course mean you, which is just a shame, because you really can't spare to lose any stature."

' _A bad pun_ and _a dig at my height? Oh, he is going down sooooooooo hard,'_ Yuffie thought, sheathing Sakura and taking a ready stance. Then, Marluxia disappeared and reappeared _right behind her_. He leaned in and whispered something in his ear, too softly for the audience to catch, but whatever it was made Yuffie's ears burn red and her knees shake, just a little. Then he swung, Yuffie jumped, yanked out Sakura and slashed wildly, and Marluxia held up his palm, releasing a chilling gale that blasted Yuffie backwards. For some reason, she felt as though an ice cube had just been lodged in her heart. She landed on her feet and skidded backwards. "Whuh…what the hell'd you do to me?" she demanded.

Marluxia ignored her at first, staring at his palm; a gash had appeared in the glove, and underneath his hand was bleeding. "So, that's how you scored so many near-hits on me with that dinky little blade," he said. His blue eyes flicked up to meet Yuffie's. "That dagger…it's infused with the power of Wind, isn't it?"

Yuffie felt like some dark shadow was hovering over her, and she didn't like it one bit. "I said, what the f–"

"I Doomed you," Marluxia said plainly. "Unless you can destroy me–or at least knock me unconscious–you _will_ die. In precisely sixty seconds from," he raised his uninjured hand and snapped his fingers, "Now."

Yuffie was floored for an instant. Then her shock galvanized into rage, and she pulled a huge, drum-like scroll out of Hammerspace and kicked it straight up into the air. It exploded, releasing a black cloud that spread out and curved down, forming a dome; the area Yuffie and Marluxia stood in was engulfed in twilight, which gradually darkened as the dome thickened. "I am a ninja," said Yuffie, her expression and tone of voice uncharacteristically serious (more than understandable, considering), "And as a ninja, I will fight to defend the Light…from within the shadows." The darkness became absolute, and Marluxia couldn't see anything.

Experimentally, he swung his scythe in front of him, which left a soft-glowing trail of cherry blossoms in its wake. Each blossom shone for less than an instant before its light was smothered. "A neat parlor trick," Marluxia commended. Thick, thorny rose stems burst out of the ground and formed a defensive shell all around him. "But making it impossible for me to see you won't help you if you can't reach me."

" _Unless I already have_ ," Yuffie whispered in his ear.

* * *

Saïx stood up and brushed the dust off his shoulders, looking around. He was in a courtyard, though not the same one that he had been looking down on earlier. This one was deserted; there was no sign of that old man, either. Then he felt a tell-tale breeze blowing _down_ into his hair, and he jumped back just before Cid came down, armed with a blade-on-a-stick pointing straight down. The force of his impact decimated the ground where Saïx has been standing, making a small crater, and Cid likewise jumped back. The two men faced each other, the air thick with tension. Saïx summoned Lunatic and said, "Tell me, how does an old engineer withstand hours of torture, throw himself out of a window eighty feet or more above the ground, and not only get out of it with no broken bones, but still have the strength to fight?"

Cid just smirked and wiped a thumb across his nose. "'Cause I'm more than _just_ an old engineer. In my youth, before I retired to a life of tinkering, I used to be a Dragoon in the Radiant Guard. A few feet above the ground, I used you as a platform and jumped up, and then broke my fall with that damned chair you tied me up to…broke the chair, too."

"I see," said Saïx, "We underestimated your resiliency. I'll be sure to break you more thoroughly."

"Much obliged," Cid sneered as he readied his lance. "But I owe you a debt o' pain, for makin' a damsel in distress outta me." He crouched and planted the butt of his lance on the ground, and then pushed straight up…sixty feet into the air.

' _I never did like sparring with Xaldin,'_ Saïx thought dourly as he gripped Lunatic with both hands and raised it to block Cid's attack. Cid, however, appeared to anticipate this; he landed _on_ Saïx's claymore, and then tumble-rolled off the oversized blade to land behind his enemy. He swung out with his lance and knocked Saïx's legs out from under him. Then he Jumped again, even higher, and when he began descending he put on a burst of speed to strike the ground with even greater force. Saïx rolled aside just in time to avoid a direct hit, but the ensuing shockwaves sent him flying.

"All right!" howled Cid as he rushed after his foe, his phenomenal lower-body strength tearing up the stonework under his feet. "Now we get to see how well _you_ can take a beating!"

Saïx jumped up to his feet and savagely flung Lunatic at Cid, snarling, "Don't try my patience, old man." Cid jumped over the thrown weapon, but then Saïx jumped up above _him_ , and telekinetically recalled Lunatic to his hand. Cid twisted in midair to bat the weapon aside with his lance, but then it teleported into Saïx's grip anyways, and the Luna Diviner raised his weapon for a lethal overhead swing…

Then Cid grinned and gave Saïx the ol' one-fingered salute before disappearing in a flash of light. Saïx had less than a second to process his mistake before his shoulder exploded with pain as Cid stabbed him from behind-and-above, driving him back into the ground at three-hundred miles per hour. Cid jumped off of his enemy and landed on his feet, twirling his lance over his head before bringing it back down in ready position. "Didn't anybody ever tell you that experience trumps youth?"

"Then tell me," gasped Saïx as he pushed himself back up to his feet, staggering a little, "Why is it…that the young are destined to outlive the old?" He picked up Lunatic and took a ready stance. "I am the Luna Diviner, and it is your _destiny_ to fall to the Organization!" He swept his off-hand out to the side, and a dozen of his Berserkers popped up all around him and Cid. "Despite my lack of emotions, I shall try my best to _relish_ the look on your face when you realize the futility of your resistance."

Cid scoffed, "Boy, you just don't know who you're talkin' to, do you?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a toothpick, and a walkie-talkie. He stuck the toothpick in his mouth, and then spoke into the walkie-talkie, "This is Lone Ranger to Clockmaker and Laughing Boy. Coordinate with Flower Girl to triangulate my position, and bring the big guns. Time to light 'em up, gentlemen!"

" _This is Clockmaker–_ " an accented voice began.

" _And Laughing Boy!_ " a more youthful voice interjected.

"– _we read you, Lone Ranger, and we are on our way. Flower Girl reports that cavalry is en route to your position._ "

"Well in that case, forget about me and focus on busting the piggies out of their pen."

"… _what is piggies in pen?_ " asked 'Clockmaker', " _I don't think we–_ "

"The townsfolk they corralled, ya darn old coot!" Cid shouted.

"Enough!" roared Saïx, charging Cid with Lunatic raised to strike, "You will fall as the Superior wills!"

" _TRINITY LIMIT!_ " roared Sora, Donald, and Goofy in tandem as they rushed onto the scene. Blinding white light washed over everything, and Cid jumped up to avoid Saïx's charge.

"Take the Keybearer!" Saïx ordered his dazed Berserkers, who shook their heads clear and rallied to engage their new target.

"Goofy, back up Cid!" Sora ordered as he summoned Metal Chocobo to his hand, "Donald, get to casting!"

" _You got it, Sora!_ " chorused his compadres.

Goofy rushed to Cid's side, just in time to block one of Saïx's savage blows. Instantly falling into synch, they became a two-man phalanx formation and began their counteroffensive. Goofy blocked Saïx with his shield while Cid thrust out with his lance, then Goofy charged and knocked Saïx back with a staggering blow that set him up for Cid's Jump attack. Then Cid fell back behind Goofy, who advanced to counter Saïx's next charge. Sora, meanwhile, went 1v12 against the Berserkers. He evaded their attacks with his Dodge Roll, until he got behind one and hit it with Zantetsuken, cleaving it in half. Then he jumped up and started smashing his massive Keyblade into the Nobodies' heads. One Berserker swung back, but Sora blocked and countered, then rolled to the side and started throwing his Keyblade at them. He jumped up and fired a salvo of lasers with Ragnarok, and then dashed through their ranks with Sonic Blade, and final dispatched another of them with another Zantetsuken. Donald backed him up, rapidly casting spells. Barriers of wind sprung up around Sora, Goofy, and Cid while balls of fire, bolts of lighting, and shotgun-shards of ice tore through the Berserkers who were alternately frozen in time or flattened into the ground.

Then Leon arrived, and all bets were off. An Assassin sprang up next to Saïx, but before it could convey its message it was blasted to smithereens by a fiery red bolt from Leon's Gunblade as the young warrior ran into the fray, slashing through four different Berserkers before he reached Saïx, who decided he was finally 110% done with this nonsense. Throwing his head back and howling like a mad wolf, Saïx went completely Berserk with a capital B. Giving off a moonlight glow, he smacked Leon aside before lifting up into the air…and _attacked_. Flinging himself across the battlefield with enough force to bowl over even Goofy's stout defense, he repeatedly swung out with Lunatic, slashing at his enemies and his own Berserker underlings alike without discrimination. When there was no one within reach for him to swing at, he just smashed his weapon repeatedly into the ground, throwing up jagged spires of shattered masonry and sending out powerful shockwaves that sent whoever was standing or trying to stand toppling back over again. After what felt like way too long to Sora and the others, Saïx finally wound down and landed. On the up side, all of his Berserkers were gone. On the down side, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Leon, and Cid were all _thrashed_. Breathing heavily for a moment, Saïx stalked over to Cid and lifted him by his throat, and raised Lunatic for the kill.

"You know," wheezed Cid, "For someone who claims he aint got any emotions, that was one hell of a tantrum you just threw."

"Even a Nobody has a limit," Saïx replied cryptically. He prepared to swing, but then a nearby explosion made him stumble in place. He looked up and saw a massive Gummi ship, bristling with weapons, hovering above another courtyard…the one with all the hostages in it.

"That'd be my new pal, Gepetto, an' his boy, Pinocchio," said Cid smugly. "And, o' course, my best girl _Shera._ Spent years workin' on her. Aint she a beaut? Hey, you gonna finish me off, or what?"

Saïx growled, and then raised his weapon again.

"Let him go, now," said a young woman's ice cold voice from behind him. Saïx looked over his shoulder, as did Cid, and Saïx raised an eyebrow while Cid broke out a grin. Somehow, it made his banged up face seem even more grotesque.

"Well now, I was wonderin' when you was gonna get yer hands dirty, darlin'," said Cid in lieu of greeting.

"And just what do you intend to do if I don't, girl?" asked Saïx.

"Well, I might just be in the mood to beat you to within an inch of your life," said Aerith Gainsborough calmly, a simple, humble-looking even, staff in her hand, "Or maybe I'll get _angry_ instead."

* * *

Marluxia slashed all around himself, shredding his own barrier of thorns, while Yuffie's giggle echoed all around him. "I don't know what you're laughing about," he said irritably, "You've got about forty seconds left to live."

" _When a ninja has a mission,_ " Yuffie's voice echoed, " _Her own life becomes a sidenote. The mission takes priority over everything else. Besides, under the Shroud, you only hear what I_ want _you to hear._ "

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" asked Marluxia.

" _It means…boom._ "

Then the ground under Marluxia's feet, and in a fifty foot radius around him, just _exploded_ sky high.

…

…

…

Marluxia opened his eyes, and his ears were ringing. The dome was gone, and the sun was shining down on him. Yuffie was crouched over him with an insufferably cheerful grin on her face. Just barely he was able to hear her speaking over the sound of his tinnitus, "It's been about five minutes, so I guess I must have knocked you out, huh?"

Marluxia shot up to his feet, Graceful Dahlia reappearing in his hands without conscious thought, and he swung blindly. "I will never forget this insult, Yuffie Kisagari," he said, his voice a deadly whisper not unlike the flickering of a snake's tongue, "You have written your own name on my Death List this day."

"I don't know many guys with pink hair," replied Yuffie, "So believe me when I say this is an honest question. Are all rosettes so melodramatic?"

"I would be so livid right now if I had a heart," Marluxia grumbled to himself as he assumed a defensive posture and tried to think of a new strategy for dealing with this irritating ninja. "Why, I think I could reach positively _Larxenian_ levels of nastiness…Larxene…"

To Yuffie's surprise, Marluxia lowered his scythe. "Why didn't you kill me?" he asked her, "And don't be coy; you had ample time to slit my throat or even cut off my whole head, and I think I've more than legitimized the use of deadly force on your part. So why am I still alive?"

Yuffie looked appalled. "Hey, I'm one of the _good guys_. I don't go around killing unconscious people. If my explosion had torn you apart I certainly wouldn't have lost any sleep over it, but I'm not going to kill you when you're already down. Kick you, sure, but not kill."

"I thought you said you were a ninja," said Marluxia, "Ninjas are killers, by definition."

"Common ninjas are, I'm sure, but I happen to be the _Great_ Ninja Yuffie," said Yuffie proudly, pressing a thumb to her chest.

"And what about the mission taking priority over everything else? Doesn't that include any personal feelings about honor or mercy?" Marluxia asked next.

This time, Yuffie just shrugged. "My rules, I'll break 'em if I wanna."

"Hmm," said Marluxia, "So what you're really saying is that you just didn't _want_ to kill me…has my beauty ensnared you so easily, little ninja?"

Yuffie gawked. "I… _what_?!" she screeched, blushing furiously.

"Mmm, sounds like a serious infatuation you've got there," said Marluxia, shaking his head and "tsk, tsk"-ing. Yuffie continued her disturbingly accurate impression of a gasping fish. "Well, it would hardly be sporting of me to go all out against a smitten adversary, and it just so happens that a friend of yours made a _flamingo_ out of my comrade, Larxene, and sent her elsewhere. So I'll cut you a deal; don't tell anyone I abandoned this stupid siege to find my comrade, and I won't tell anyone that you were too busy gazing dreamily at my angelic visage to finish the job. Do we have an accord, Ms. Kisagari?"

"Get real!" Yuffie shouted back, pulling two shuriken out from behind her back, "Your head is mine, you arrogant pretty boy!"

She hurled her weapons at him, and then continued to fling shuriken after shuriken at him. Marluxia dodged them all with his signature grace and flamboyant style. "Ah, to be young, in love, and easily flustered," Marluxia sighed.

"Shut your [BLEEP] mouth and die already!" yelled Yuffie.

* * *

"You know, I can't help but feel like there's something wrong about this situation," Xion commented to her fellow Keyblade wielder as they continued to chase Axel around the square. The Flurry of Dancing Flames was living up to his title, putting on an impressive display of agility as he bounded around the square, splitting his focus between two all-important tasks. Keeping his distance from his foes and chucking his chakrams at them as hard as he could.

"What, you think we should have beaten him by now?" asked Roxas.

"No, that's not it," said Xion. "I just…I don't know, I feel weird about fighting this guy…what's his name again?"

"Axel," replied Roxas, tumbling aside and avoiding an incendiary chakram by millimeters. "Yeah, I'm a little conflicted about fighting him too. He was actually pretty nice to me this last week."

"So…why we fighting him, then?" asked Xion.

"You smart-alecks had better stop having a casual conversation while I'm trying to kill you, or I'll get _really_ pissed!" Axel yelled.

"No you won't," Roxas argued, "You can't feel real feels for reals. Hey, Xion, try saying that five times really fast."

"You can't feel real feels for reals, you can't feel real feels for reals, you can't fill frills for reels, you can't frill fills trills…wait, what?" Xion broke down in snickers, which Axel didn't hesitate to exploit.

He was on her in a heartbeat, swinging his chakrams straight at her neck while screaming, "My rage is metaphorical!"

Xion Reversed behind Axel and snap-kicked him in the small of his back, sending him tumbling forward. Roxas whooped and rushed in to exploit the opening in Axel's guard, but Xion interposed herself and held up a single gloved hand, shaking her head. Confused, Roxas slowed to a stop and watched curiously as Xion stepped around to Axel's front. As Axel got up Xion bewildered him and Roxas further by throwing her Keyblade aside. "No. Seriously. _Why_ are we fighting?" she asked, "You'll have to forgive me, I'm only like, two hours old, so the extent of my knowledge is that Naminé…called me…because you and these Organization people were giving her and Roxas trouble. And then she told us a lot of stuff about a journal she found that said Xemnas was just using you all as tools to get something called 'Kingdom Hearts' so he could take its power and become some kind of godlike being. So I don't see why it's strictly necessary for us to be fighting. You're being used, Axel. Again, sorry if I'm being an ignorant newborn, but you don't strike me as the type who's okay with being used."

Axel, still kneeling in the dirt and recovering his breath, stared at her for a moment. Then he chuckled as he stood up. "Nice speech, but your desperate little attempt to make me second-guess my purpose couldn't be much more transparent."

"Desperate? Dude, we're kicking your ass," snorted Roxas.

Axel choose to ignore this barb. "Anyways, I'm the Organization's assassin; you're not the first to try wiggling your way out of your fate with slick words, and you won't be the first to fail, either. Make peace with your–"

"Hold on, I thought Marluxia was the Organiaztion's assassin?" interjected Roxas.

"No, he's head of security at the Organization's Castle Oblivion research station," corrected Axel, "Where your _girlfriend_ ran away from."

"…she's not my girlfriend…" Roxas muttered, blushing furiously.

"But Roxas said Marluxia was the Graceful Assassin," countered Xion.

"No, that's his _title_ , not his job description," said Axel, feeling his already lacking patience dwindling evermore rapidly.

"But you're number eight and he's number eleven, meaning you were there first. Why was the title of assassin even available for him?" asked Roxas.

"Because as a _real_ assassin, I'm not gonna go around _telling_ people I'm an assassin–"

"You _just_ told us you were an assassin," Xion pointed out.

"I am trying to intimidate you!" Axel shouted, irritated and yet also struck by a sense of familiarity about walking these two idiots through what he figured was a very simple concept.

"So the Organization has its assassin doing security work, and a dancer doing it's assassinating?" asked Xion.

"It kind of makes sense," said Roxas before Axel could reply, "I mean, you wouldn't _expect_ a dancer to be an assassin, which would work in their favor, and an assassin has to be sneaky so he would probably know how to keep other sneaky people out a building."

"I'm not a dancer!" screamed Axel, "I'm the Flurry of Dancing Flames, there's a difference!"

"What does that even mean?" asked Xion.

"Yeah, isn't a flurry a type of snow?" asked Roxas.

"IT MEANS I'M GONNA KILL YOU BOTH!" Axel seethed, stomping his foot and sending a shockwave of fire rippling outwards.

"Temper, temper," said Roxas as he jumped back.

"Said the guy who doesn't have emotions to the other guy who doesn't have emotions," quipped Xion.

"He's really good at playing angry, though," said Roxas. Axel renewed his assault, deciding he needed to take down his enemies one at a time and making a snap-decision to focus on Roxas first, since he seemed to be the stronger one. This proved to be a mistake, as Roxas met his charge and forced them into a bladelock. Chakrams and Keyblades were pushed against each other for several seconds in a machismo-induced, strategically-unsound game of reverse-tug-of-war. Or at least it was strategically unsound for Axel. Something (large and key-shaped and held by a blue-eyed ravenette) struck Axel across the back of his head so hard he _literally_ saw an all-consuming flash of red before crumpling into an unconscious heap.

Xion and Roxas stared down at the inert redhead, just a moment ago an imminent threat to their…state of autonomous animation, for want of a better term. "You have no heart, and I'm made up of memories," Xion said quietly. "What the hell _are_ we, Roxas?" she asked, looking up at him.

Roxas, having nothing particularly philosophical or even just witty to say to this, just shrugged. "If I were knocked out and Axel were standing over me, he would have finished me by now," he said. He raised both of his Keyblades…and then rested Oathkeeper on his shoulder and spun Oblivion into a reverse-grip behind his back. He turned his back on the assassin and started walking away. "One thing I know that I am…is better than them. That's why Naminé felt I was worth saving."

Xion looked down at Axel and regarded him for a moment, and then looked at her Keyblade. She shook her head and ran after Roxas. Shoulder-to-shoulder they walked towards the courtyard that was currently shadowed by a massive Gummi ship. "How did you guys get away from the Organization?" she asked.

Roxas shook his head. "My head's kind of a mess right now. There's a lot swimming around…I'm not sure what's mine and what's…someone else's. Naminé did something to me…something that made me a way better fighter and gave me another Keyblade. I feel hot and cold inside at the same time, and I keep thinking of an old guy and someone who looks a lot like Sora that I _really_ want to hurt, but I'm not sure why. I don't have time to process any of this, because the Organization is here and we have to get rid of them. Maybe later…I don't know. What I do know is that Naminé wants us to help people, and there are people here who need our help."

Without another word he broke into a run, and Xion took off close on his heels.

* * *

In a massive library deep within the dilapidated castle in the center of town, Zexion stood at a table with a large book lying open on it. One of his mystical Lexicons, the Book of Oversight. Shimmering above the open pages like a desert mirage was an image of Lexaeus, lying unconscious in the dirt. He turned the page, scattered the ghostly image only for it to be replaced by a similar image of Axel in much the same state. "Lexaeus and Axel both down…Marluxia and Saïx pinned down in melee…two of the enemy's three Keyblade wielders are still in the fight…" he muttered to himself.

"Sounds like a real clustershag," remarked Luxord from where he sat at the next table over, playing a game of solitaire.

"There is nothing for it. You and I will have to enter the fray," Zexion concluded, slamming his Lexicon shut and dismissing it in a swirl of thorn-streams.

"A shame that Vexen, Xaldin, Xigbar, and our illustrious Superior are indisposed, isn't it? Not to mention how inconvenient it is that the _fair_ Larxene was so quickly removed from the game and that little Roxas was turned to the enemy's hand. And wherever did old Demyx disappear to?" Luxord wondered aloud as he stood up and, with a wave of his hand, made his cards fly off the table and up his sleeves.

"I doubt that loafer would be much help to us, despite the overwhelming potential for versatility that his abilities have," Zexion remarked. "Luxord, you will relieve Marluxia and Saïx, and then the three of you will capture Naminé while she's vulnerable."

"And you?" asked Luxord, even as he opened a Corridor of Darkness to his first destination.

"I will deal with the Keybearers," the Cloaked Schemer announced, summoning another of his Lexicons…the Book of Retribution, by name.

To Be Continued…

* * *

A/N: First off, let me clarify that I know what a rosette actually is. It's a kind of decorative badge type thingy. Yuffie wasn't misusing the word, she was just making a bad pun. Please forgive her, and by her I actually mean me.

And now, a friendly neighborhood Public Service Announcement: If you're suffering from Tarantino Deficiency, or you suspect a loved one may be suffering from Tarantino Deficiency, you're advised to take immediate steps. Tarantino Deficiency is believed to be one of the leading causes of both terminal dweebitis (not to be confused with diabeetus), and acute incurable progressive degenerative squareness. The leading cause of Tarantino Deficiency itself is not having enough of Quentin Tarantino's audaciously delicious awesomeness in your life. The first step to overcoming Tarantino Deficiency is to ravenously watch his movies; these include such instant classics as Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, and Inglorious Basterds, any of which would be a good place to start. I recommend starting with Kill Bill, that way you'll get the reference in this chapter's title. Also because it stars Uma Thurman as The Heroine, Lucy Liu as the Disc 1 Final Boss, and David Carradine of "Kung-Fu" fame as the Disc 2 Final Boss, and all sorts of other awesome that I don't even legitly know how to describe; and the goddamn soundtrack! The Lonely Shepherd will sear your soul. The next step is to spend the rest of your life helping to spread Tarantino-related memes at every given opportunity (like me, with the title of this chapter).

If no Quentin Tarantino movies are immediately available, Robert Rodriguez films are an acceptable substitute; movies such as Planet Terror (also has a kicking soundtrack and a chick with the coolest prosthetic ever), Machete (starring Danny Trejo in the much deserved breakout role that his entire film career was building up to, and also Michelle Rodriguez as someone who doesn't die at the end, Jessica Alba in an actual Hispanic role for a change, Robert DeNiro as Robert DeNiro's evil twin, Lindsay Lohan as a nun (for reals…sort of), Cheech Marin as a shotgun-toting priest, and Steven Goddamn Segal as the Final Boss, with a mildly entertaining bit role performance by that curly redhead boy from the Spy Kids movies), Machete Kills (featuring Charlie Sheen by his real name, Carlos Estevez, as the President we all wish we had, Mel Gibson by his real name, Fucking Nuts, as the Big Bad with a collection of Klingon weapons, and also Cuba Gooding Jr., Lady Gaga, and Antonio Banderas as the same person), and the oldie but goodie, Dusk Till Dawn (starring George Clooney in his only significant role as a certified badass, and Quentin Tarantino himself as Clooney's delightfully deranged brother, and also Cheech Marin as three different guys).

If this note hasn't made you want to at least look up a trailer for any one of the movies I mentioned, then there's no hope left. You're already a terminal dweeb. All you can do now is put your affairs in order before someone inevitably wedgies you to death. I mean, c'mon, one of life's greatest guilty pleasures is watching hilariously awful, stupid, over-the-top Rule-of-Cool-overdosed action films.

Also, this was the last chapter I had written, so the next update might come a little later than usual. I'll try not to be too long about it, but I also really want to update _The Others_ soon, too. I presumptuously thank you all for your understanding. Till next time!

P.S. Replaced the old Chapter 5 because I realized I messed up the name of the gummi ship. Stupid brain!

Wolfman, ow-out!


	6. Kingdom Hearts: Rising Revengeance

**A Year Reclaimed.**

 **Chapter 6: Kingdom Hearts Rising Revengeance.**

 **(RULES OF NATURE!)**

Seifer peeked out from behind a building, his eyes wide with fear and his hair slick with sweat. Back at Twilight Town he had seen some crazy things, what with Axel throwing fireballs and Demyx making water dance and Roxas fighting with two giant keys and then all the insanity that had spiraled out from there. When they had gotten to Hollow Bastion, he had been certain that nothing else he might see would be able to shake him up any more than he had already been. He was wrong.

While it wasn't as visually shocking, involving nothing more outlandish that floating in the air, glowing a little, and flinging himself around like some deranged ragdoll harbinger of death, Saïx's Berserk Limit Break had nevertheless shaken Seifer to the core by the simple virtue of the sheer devastation he had left in his wake. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Leon and Cid all laid unconscious on the ground, and the ground was torn up as if a magnitude 9 earthquake had just passed through. And as soon as it was over, Saïx had gone back to being an expressionless zombie, his orange eyes dull and uninterested even as he engaged the flower girl, Aerith, in battle.

From the moment he had seen her, Seifer had pegged Aerith as a supporter, the kind who stayed out of the fight but did whatever else she could to help. On the flight here she had served as a pilot and healer, seemingly confirming his assumption. When she had stayed behind with Rai, Fuu, Vivi, and the sleeping Naminé on the ship, he hadn't questioned it. It didn't occur to him that she had stayed behind to protect the others, because he had seen nothing to suggest that she was any kind of fighter. Again, Seifer was wrong.

He watched in awe as Aerith, who had put on a pink jacket over her sundress, vaulted backwards over Saïx's backhanded swing and spun in place, smacking him across the face with her staff. Crying out in pain, Saïx swung at he again. This time she ducked and rolled aside, lashing out with a low swing that knocked Saïx's legs out from under him. Saïx was quick to jump back up, swinging faster and more viciously than before. She was limber and agile, sure, but Seifer didn't see how Aerith could escape the blistering barrage unscathed. At no point had she attempted to block her opponent's attacks, which Seifer assumed was because she didn't have the upper-body strength. This time he seemed to be right, because she rapidly backpedaled while spinning her staff in both hands, using centripetal force to compensate for her lack of strength and deflect Lunatic whenever it got too close.

As Saïx pressed his assault and Aerith continued to back away they switched positions, so that now Saïx's back was to Seifer and Seifer could see Aerith's face. And what he saw there made his breath catch. He had expected some degree of fear, because who _wouldn't_ be afraid under the circumstances? Or maybe cold, detached focus, or an angry sneer? She had certainly sounded angry when she had first confronted the blue-haired Nobody, before he had dropped the old man and commenced the duel. While it would definitely be unexpected, Seifer wouldn't have been too surprised to see Aerith keeping up her usual expression of serene cheer; it wouldn't be the craziest thing he had seen a stranger do today.

The one thing he hadn't expected to see on Aerith's face was a _cocky grin_ , like she was having a ball. Moreover, Seifer realized that she was practically dancing around her opponent, and then he realized that in a way she _was_ dancing with him. Her eyes stared steadily into Saïx's, never wavering and never glancing aside to see where his weapon was, but she consistently evaded his every move. As if she knew what Saïx was going to do before he did it. _'Maybe she has a lot of experience with guys who fight with ludicrously over-sized swords?'_ Seifer thought.

Without warning, moving so quickly that Seifer almost missed it, Aerith sidestepped and spun behind Saïx, slamming her staff through his shin and making him stumble, and finally following through by swing her staff up and down on his head. Then she skipped back a few feet to distance herself. Saïx stumbled around for a moment, apparently stunned by that last hit, and in the sudden lull Seifer could hear Aerith's labored breathing. She closed her eyes and a faint green glow started creeping up from the ground under her feet, quickly enveloping her in an aura that faded away almost as quickly. Her breathing was back to normal, and her posture suggested that any and all fatigue she had felt had vanished. She opened her eyes, which burned with renewed vigor, and gave a contented sigh.

"Well, this was fun and all, but you're not as much fun to play with as he was," said Aerith. "You're really…unimaginative."

Saïx stood up straighter and turned to face Aerith, an ugly look on his face. Flipping Lunatic into a reverse-grip, he quickly charged her, howling like a wolf. Aerith just 'tsk'd and raised her staff, slamming it down with a cry of "Quake!" A pillar of earth shot up and slammed into Saïx's chest, sending him stumbling back. Aerith thrust an open palm at him and shouted, "HOLY!" A flash of white devoured the world, and when it faded Saïx was pressed into a wall on the other side of the square. He soon fell down, landing on his hands and knees; he quickly summoned Lunatic to his hand once more and struggled to his feet, only to wind up falling down again, using his weapon to prop himself up. Aerith, meanwhile, drew more power from the ground, or at least Seifer guessed that was what she was doing, and then turned to her fallen allies. "Curaga! Curaga! Curaga! Curaga! Curaga!" she incanted with her staff held overhead with both hands. Bright green auras shone around Sora, Donald, Goofy, Leon, and Cid, and Aerith even moved to give the old man a hand up to his feet. "That's the second time I've saved your life, Mr. Highwind. When are you going to name a ship after _me_ , huh?"

"Gotta find enough pink gummi blocks first, darlin'," Cid joked, wincing as his chuckle aggravated his still-sore ribs.

"Alright, enough jokes," said Leon, looking around for where he had dropped his Gunblade. "We still have to–"

Everyone seemed to freeze just then, as if the world was a video game someone had just paused. Everyone but Seifer, Saïx, and that black swirly thingy that had just appeared in the middle of the square. Luxord, the Gambler of Fate and the Organization's Number X, stepped out of the Corridor. "Seems you've had a bad run of it as of late, eh, Saïx?"

"Spare me your smarm, No. X," Saïx growled. "Just help me finish these miserable–"

"No can-do, mate," Luxord cut in, "Zexion's orders are to get you out of this fracas."

Saïx raised an eyebrow. "Surely we're not pulling out?"

"Not at all!" said Luxord jovially, "We're just cutting a few losses; we needn't win these battles, after all. Our mission is to bring in the Keyblade wielders and Naminé. Zexion's grabbing Roxas and the new one, and Naminé's pretty much undefended. She's for you and I to grab. I was going to get Marluxia first, but he seems to have up and disappeared. Left that little lady in a hilarious spot, though."

"And him?" asked Saïx, pointing at Sora, who was frozen in the middle of helping Goofy extract Donald from a wall he had gotten lodged in.

"Can't move him without releasing the spell," said Luxord. If I release the spell, we have to deal with this lot. Zexion says to forget him for now. Three out of four is good enough, wouldn't you say?"

Saïx clearly didn't agree, but he didn't argue the point. "Very well. Let's get Naminé."

"Not so fast!" shouted Seifer, throwing caution to the wind and throwing himself out into the open. He couldn't think of what he could do, but he couldn't stand the thought of doing nothing. There was no one to stop these two from taking Naminé, and if Rai, Fuu, and Vivi _did_ try, the Nobodies would tear through them like wet tissue paper. Seifer spotted Leon's Gunblade, ran forward and snatched it up. It was a lot heavier than his Struggle bat, but he had phenomenal strength for a boy his age. If anything was going to give him trouble, it was the awkward grip of the weapon.

Saïx seemed to notice this immediately. "That weapon is an ill fit for you, boy. As is suicide."

"Don't patronize me!" Seifer shouted, charging forward. "My name is Seifer, and I'm a champion, not a chicken-wuss!" he roared as he jumped up high and come down to strike Saïx from above.

"How pointless," said Saïx, just as he and Luxord disappeared in a swirl of thorn-streams. Seifer struck the ground impotently, and everyone else unfroze around him.

Leon immediately noticed him and said, "Hey, what are you doing with my–"

"ARRGGGH!" screamed Seifer , throwing Griever away in frustration. He sank to his knees, once more feeling useless and getting _really_ sick of it. "You…you have to get back to the ship…Naminé's in trouble!"

Roxas and Xion ran hard towards the courtyard that _Shera_ hovered over. They were getting close, but they stopped short when a wave of dark blue-ish balls of energy pummeled the ground in front of them, then around them, and then _on them_. The pair jumped around and dodged most of the attack, but not all. Battered and bruised, with their clothes smoking in places, they still stood up in defiance. "Is that the best you can do?!" Roxas yelled into the air.

"Not even close," replied Zexion as he shimmered into view, standing right in front of them. "But it stopped you. Now, you two are going to–"

" _Own you!_ " they both finished for him, charging forward with their weapons ready. Zexion rolled his eyes, raised one hand, and snapped his fingers. Immediately, a gigantic silver foot come down out of nowhere, slamming down on both of them. The Twilight Thorn that Zexion had summoned took a step back. Roxas and Xion were pressed into the ground at the bottom of big foot-shaped crater. Xion had anime-swirly eyes and Roxas's face was contorted in pain. Still, they pulled themselves up into a sitting position and helped each other stand up. The Twilight Thorn raised its hands and conjured a ball of crackling blue-white energy that quickly swelled up until it was big enough to swallow a house.

"Surrender, or be smote to within a hair's breadth of oblivion," Zexion said with finality.

"Eat…your…coat…" Roxas snarled.

"I second…that motion…" added Xion.

Zexion shrugged. "It makes no difference, in the end. Once your bodies are battered and your spirits broken, you'll be taken to the Castle and reconditioned until you are ready to serve the Organization without question." Zexion began stepping backwards, raised his hand again, and swung it down. The Twilight Thorn threw down its ball, and Roxas grabbed Xion's hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

But just then, the roar of an epic sound clip familiar to all true gamers cut through the air, and time seemed to slow down. Nearby, a lone man on a motorcycle sped towards the scene of battle, a giant metal-concert-quality speaker attached to his bike. The man angled his bike towards a fallen stone wall that served as a convenient ramp, and with it launched himself into the air towards the massive ball of destructive power. The biker drew the improbably large single-edged sword strapped to his back, and as he sailed towards the ball he swung down, just as a voice screamed from his speaker…

" _RULES OF NATURE!_ "

The shockwave from Cloud Strife's Buster Sword split the glowing ball of doom in half and sent the halves flying apart. Cloud jumped off of his bike as THE GREATEST VIDEO GAME ACTION THEME OF ALL TIME accompanied him, and as he began his descent he swung down again, drawing a single glowing line down the center of the Twilight Thorn, all the way down from the top of its head to its groin. Cloud crushed a sick three-point landing between Zexion and his would-be victims, and the Twilight Thorn split in half, both halves breaking up and fading as they fell. 'Rules of Nature' faded to background music as Cloud stood up and said, "I don't like people who pick on kids." He was dressed in his classic outfit with his sword unbandaged. He pointed the blade at Zexion with one hand, his expression all business, and jerked his head to the side, "Move along, buddy, if you know what's good for you."

Zexion took in this glorious, golden paragon of all that is badass, contemplated the casual ease with which he had destroyed the Twilight Thorn, and did the math. "Nope," he said, and vanished in a twister of thorn-streams.

Cloud looked disappointed, but then he shrugged and said, "Probably wouldn't have been much of a fight anyways." Still using only a one-handed grip, he gave the Buster a couple spins before dropping it into its sheath. Just then, another iconic video game sound clip started issuing from a cell phone that hung on his belt. "Yeah?" he said when he answered it. "Yeah," he glanced over his shoulder at Roxas and Xion, "They're fine. Oh? On my way. And tell Cid to put on some of that tea of his." He closed the phone and slipped it back into its holster. Without looking back he started running towards his motorcycle, which had landed without a scratch as per the Rule of Cool regarding epic jumps, and shouted, "C'mon kids, we've got places to be!"

"What the [BLEEP] just happened?" asked Roxas.

Xion shrugged. "Deus ex machina?"

Cloud mounted Fenrir, kicked it back to life, and pulled up next to the befuddled Keybearers. "Come on, let's mosey!"

" _Mosey?_ " asked the two. Sharing a glance, and then a resigned shrug, they hopped on behind Cloud and held on tight, Roxas to Cloud's shoulders and Xion to Roxas's waist (which sent weird shivers into his stomach that he didn't find altogether unpleasant).

And together they roared away towards the Finale.

"Not…moving…" wheezed Fuu, defiantly glaring up at Saïx with one eye, the other being a bloodied wreck. She stood with her arms outstretched. Rai was unconscious and bleeding from the mouth at her feet, and in the corner behind her Vivi was holding down Naminé, who was desperately trying to give herself up before Saïx killed someone. Behind Saïx, Luxord stood next to the _Pilgrim_ 's main hatch and shuffled his cards while observing the proceedings with a detached expression.

"Your bravery is wasted in this situation, child," said Saïx, "You are standing between me and my objective, and I have no heart. I will feel no regret if you make me cut through you to get what I'm after."

It goes without saying that Fuu is a girl of few words. Rarely is she ever heard to see three or more words in one breath. There are, however, occasions when the situation calls for one to break character, and this was such an occasion. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Fuu said, "Then _do it_. I won't let Seifer down. _Ever_."

Saïx sneered and raised his claymore to oblige Fuu's request, but something stopped him.

" _Lea, run for it! Get back, you freaks, I won't let you hurt him!"_

Saïx shook his head and swung down with a vicious growl. Fuu shut her eyes and looked down, but otherwise held her ground. Which is just a damn shame, because she missed what happened next.

One of the gummi ship's bulkheads bulged out and exploded, spraying across the room and striking Lunatic, skewing Saïx's aim so that he missed Fuu completely. Saïx whipped his head around to face the intruder, just in time to catch a black-gloved fist that pulverized his nose and sent him flying backwards. He struck the other gummi bulkhead and bounced off back towards his attacker, who caught him with a devastating power kick to his stomach. "I _really_ don't like people who pick on kids," said Tifa Lockhart softly but angrily. Then she smoked him with a right hook across the face that knocked him off of her boot and on to the floor. "If you're smart, you'll stay down," she advised Saïx's prone and semi-unconscious body. Then she looked up at Luxord and assumed a ready stance. "How about you? You wanna try your luck, or will you play it smart and walk away?"

Luxord only grinned and stopped shuffling. "Well, you seem like a lady that enjoys a good wager. Rather than resorting to that detestable lowest common denominator, violence, what say you and I play a friendly little game instead?"

Tifa lowered her fists, but didn't relax her guard a bit. "What kind of game?" she asked curiously.

"Why, the only kind worth playing, of course. A high-stakes game," said Luxord, "Winner keeps the kiddies, loser 'jumps ship' as it were."

Tifa's eyes narrowed. "I don't gamble with _other_ people's lives. No deal!" she cried out before rushing Luxord. Then she stopped, because she got Stopped. Luxord snapped his fingers, and Tifa froze in place.

The next thing Tifa was aware of was tumbling to the ground, her body covered from head to toe in injuries varying from minor inconveniences to possibly serious problems. An instant later, the pain caught up to her and she was so overwhelmed she couldn't even scream. She just laid there and gasped like a fish out of water, every nerve-ending in her skin burning. Her own sheer force of modesty (such as it was) was the only thing that stopped her clothes from unraveling at the seams. Fuu's anguished cry of despair pulled Tifa's mind away from her own problems, for which she was grateful. She looked over and saw the girl angrily pounding the floor with her fist. Vivi was looking around, seeming dazed and confused. Rai was still unconscious. Of Naminé, there was not a trace.

Tifa looked back to where she had left Saïx, and saw that he had also vanished. Finally, she looked to where she had seen Luxord standing just a moment (to her) ago. He was gone, but there was a scrap of paper left behind. Ignoring the protests of her lacerated muscles, Tifa pulled herself over to the paper and picked it up. It read, _Didn't need the others, just Naminé. Next time, play the game; at least then there's a chance you_ might _win. Looking forward to our next engagement. Cordially, Luxord._

Tifa crushed the paper in her fist with such force that the pressure of her grip alone caused the paper to heat up to the point of spontaneous combustion. Shaking the ashes off, she forced herself to stand up and staggered outside, where her own motorcycle stood idling. Reaching into one of the saddlebags, she pulled out a Hi-Potion and quaffed it. As the healing energy surged through her body, she closed her eyes and formed a perfect image of Luxord's smug face in her mind. And as she had a habit of doing, Tifa Lockhart swore very-much-literally bloody vengeance.

Something pulled Axel's consciousness kicking and screaming back into the light of day. He opened his eyes and felt his body enveloped by the tell-tale tingling after-effect of a healing spell (Cura, to be specific). He got up to his feet and found himself face-to-face with Zexion and Lexaeus, the latter of whom had a large gash in the stomach area of his coat but otherwise appeared unharmed. But then again, they lived in a universe where magic spells and enchanted pharmaceuticals could be used to instantly undo life-threatening flesh injuries. "So…uh…what's up, guys?" he asked.

"Marluxia's disappeared, but Luxord and Saïx have Naminé and are returning her to Castle Oblivion as we speak," said Zexion, "But so far the three Keybearers have evaded us. An…unexpected element has entered the fray, and prevented me from obtaining Roxas and the new one. He's extremely powerful, and without Marluxia and Saïx here you're the most powerful member of the Organization present. Between the three of us, I think we can take him."

"Him? One guy is causing us problems?" asked Axel, "Is he another Keyblade wielder? Is it that mouse guy?"

"No. It's…a swordsman. With excessively spiky blonde hair."

"What?! A normal swordsman stopped _you_?" asked Axel incredulously. He chuckled a bit at his younger senpai's misfortune. "How spiky is 'excessively' spiky, anyways?" he asked.

Now it was Zexion's turn to smirk as he replied, "Spikier than _yours_."

Axel's jaw dropped. "Oh…oh-ho-ho…it is _on_!" seethed Axel, "No one out-spikes the Ax-man!"

As he stormed away, Lexaeus and Zexion shared a look. " _Ax-man?_ " they both repeated. After a moment Lexaeus turned and said, "Axel? He's that way," he said, pointing in the opposite direction.

"I knew that!" yelled Axel as he reversed course and stormed past them again.

"Aaaaaaaand that's that," said Cloud as he, Roxas, and Xion mopped up the last of the Nobodies that had been guarding the courtyard. He tossed the two youngsters another Potion each to restore the few injuries they had sustained. The townsfolk had already taken refuge on _Shera_ , being transported via gummi shuttles operated by Pinocchio, the Duck Nephews, and a team of Moogles.

A high-pitched whistle was the only warning Cloud got as a rapidly-spinning chakram sailed right at the back of his head. Cloud instinctively ducked at the last possible second, losing only a few strands of his hair that were clipped off by the projectile. Cloud spun around and brought his Buster to bare to deflect the second chakram that soon followed. "Today's been a long day for me," said Axel as he ambled across the courtyard towards him, his chakrams rematerializing in fiery bursts in his hands as he walked. "So if it's all good and well by you, I'd prefer to just kick your ass to kingdom come and then punch in my card."

Cloud had just enough time to wonder if he had seen Axel somewhere before, when suddenly the incandescent redhead was all up in his grill, swinging at his spiky-locks like a savage barber. Roxas and Xion instantly sprang forward to their new friend's aid, but they were cut off by an earthen barrier. Lexaeus charged in from stage left, and knocked them both back with a single swing of Skysplitter. Axel pressed his offensive against Cloud, not allowing him a moment to muster a counterattack. In lashing out with his most blistering speed he sacrificed accuracy and precision, failing to land any good hits on his opponent, but that was all according to the plan…

Cloud pushed himself back as hard as he could, finally opening the distance he needed to gather his wits. Inspired by something he had seen Sora do during the Hercules Cup tournament, he cranked his arm back and flung the Buster Sword at Axel as hard as he could, certain that there was no way the redhead could evade or deflect such a powerful throw. To his immense surprise, Zexion materialized in the Buster's path and _caught it by its hilt_ , stopping it cold in mid-spin.

As the SOLDIER reject stood there with his mouth hanging open in disbelief, Zexion flipped the sword around and took a few practice swings with it before nodded in apparent satisfaction, not once appearing to seriously exert himself in the process, and Cloud watched on in shock as he flung it straight up into the sky. After a moment, the Buster Sword fell back down and sank half the length of its blade into the earth. Then _another_ Buster fell down, quickly followed by a veritable deluge of Buster Copies, their blades sinking into the earth. It was only his hard-wired fighting instincts overriding his mind's blue-screen error that allowed Cloud to step aside and avoid being skewered–several times–by what appeared to be his own sword. Cloud shook off the shock and grabbed the nearest hilt and pulled its blade free of the ground. He didn't have time to wonder why his enemy would give him _more_ swords before Axel lunged at him. The heroic blonde sidestepped and slammed the Buster's considerably large flatside into Axel's backside, but instead of rocketing him across the battlefield the sword in his hand seemingly disintegrated into wisps of darkness upon contact with Axel, who didn't appear to have felt anything. Grinning dickishly, Axel backhand-swung his chakram into Cloud's face and sent him flying back.

"Foolish swordsman," Zexion taunted, "Did you really think I would give you _more_ swords? Only one of them is real; the rest are cunning illusions. You'll never find the real one before my associates, Lexaeus and Axel, subdue your comrades." With that, Zexion snapped his fingers and Axel, tossing a mock salute Cloud's way, dashed away to join Lexaeus against Roxas and Xion. "In the meantime, I shall endeavor to prevent you from interfering further in the Organization's business," said Zexion as yet-another Buster Copy materialized in his hands.

Cloud just stood up, wiped a thin line of blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, uprooted two more Buster Copies and dispersed them both by slamming them together. He grinned and said, "Challenge accepted." He charged Zexion, closing the distance between them in nearly an instant, slammed an open palm into his chest and shouted, "Thundaga!"

A single massive spark of electricity blasted Zexion across the courtyard, blowing through several Buster Copies along the way and leaving a smoking hole in the front of his coat. Zexion slammed his Buster Copy into the ground, bringing his flight to a grinding halt. He then rushed Cloud with blinding speed to match his own, and swung at his neck. Cloud ducked under the swing and snapped a kick into his foe's stomach, but Zexion sidestepped the attack and raised his blade for an overhead swing. Cloud held his position and caught the blade with both of his hands, grunting in surprise and strain as he tried to push back against the petite Nobody's astonishing strength. "You should know that my 'body' is composed of the latent energy-potential found in the empty space within and betwixt atoms," Zexion commented, "The only limit to a Nobody's physical power is their imagination…and I have a very _good_ imagination."

Cloud caught a flicker of movement in his right periphery, and before he could react he got smoked in the side of his head by Zexion's large book, seemingly moving of its own volition. Cloud staggered sideways as Zexion wrested his copy-sword free from the Chocobo-head's grip and jumped back a couple meters. Cloud growled and crouched, and then jumped straight up into the air. "Fira!" he shouted, shooting a fireball at Zexion from the palm of his hand, and also propelling himself higher into the sky as per Newton's Third Law of Motion. Which doesn't apply to _magical_ force unless the mage wishes it to, which Cloud did in this case. He cast Fira a few more times, pushing himself higher and higher each time until Zexion, who calmly evaded or swatted aside each bolt of flame, became an indistinct speck far below. Then Cloud inverted himself in midair and roared, "FIRAGA!" and released an intense stream of flames into the heavens, propelling himself back towards the ground with incredible force and rapidly building speed.

"Hmm, an interesting tactic," Zexion commented to himself, switching his copied Buster to one hand and letting that arm drop, and with his now-free hand giving his chin a thoughtful rub. "If I had to guess, I'd say he's going to try for a massive shockwave that will dispel all the remaining sword-copies. He's obviously confident that he'll survive the impact, or more likely he has a Hi-Potion or Elixir on hand. Well, no sense stopping him…not when his recklessness is my advantage."

Cloud felt his magic-power peter out to almost nothing, and cut off the firestream before re-inverting himself so he could land feet first. This was _really_ going to hurt, but the Elixir in his pocket told him everything would be alright…

Then, at the last second, Zexion's Book of Retribution zoomed in right under his feet and opened wide, swallowing Cloud whole before slamming itself shut.

Meanwhile, Lexaeus calmly sidestepped Xion's thrust and blocked Roxas's double swing with his blade, and with a heavy stomp of his foot caused stone pillars to burst out of the ground and send the Keyblade wielders flying into the air. Throwing up his 'rock fist', as it were, he conjured a couple of boulders out of nowhere in the air above his opponents; pulling his fist down he willed the boulders to descend, slamming into the Keybearers and slamming them back down into the ground. Axel rushed in for the kill, very nearly genuinely _relishing_ the thought of finally putting these uppity upstarts in their place.

Then Sora was suddenly in his way, slamming the guard of Wishing Star into his face. "Ars Arcanum!" the spirited brunette shouted as he executed a masterful combination of magically-enhanced blows all over the fiery Nobody. Sora finished by switching to Diamond Dust before blasting Axel backwards with Blizzaga. Axel was intercepted by Goofy, who slammed him into the air with Save The King. At the apex of Axel's ascent, Donald stepped up and cast "Stopga!", followed by Sora jumping up after the frozen redhead and striking him repeatedly with Divine Rose until Stopga wore off. Sora kicked back from Axel, and before the Flurry of Dancing Flames could retaliate he was stunned by the sudden damage Sora had inflicted taking effect. "Graviga!" shouted Donald, bringing Axel crashing back down to earth with thunderous force. Finally, Donald jumped up and shouted, "COMET!" Several globes of bright, colorful light materialized in the air above Axel's prone form, and before he could struggle up to his feet Donald swung down Save The Queen, signaling the magical spheres to come crashing down upon the enemy.

Lexaeus tried to come to his fellow's aid, but Sora intercepted him with Metal Chocobo in hand and swung at his shins. With agility belying his frame, Lexaeus leaped clear over the blow–and it occurred to Sora that he looked somewhat like a dark _danseur_ as he did so–and upon landing quickly spun around and swung down upon the young teen. Sora knew better than to try blocking as anything but a last resort against someone so much larger than himself, so he rolled aside and leaped away from the Taciturn Stalwart. As Lexaeus turned to pursue, Sora quickly switched out Metal Chocobo for Lionheart and pointed it at Lexaeus, casting "Stop!" Lexaeus instantly froze, and in the brief time afforded to him–he had deliberately used the spell's weakest form to conserve his energy, and because he was certain it would give him enough time–Sora gathered all of his remaining magic-power and charged up the strongest Ragnarok he could muster; the strongest since the one he had used to finish his fight against Ansem-Riku in Ansem's lab. He fired it off with impeccable timing, the lasers striking Lexaeus just as Stop wore off. He was thrown back, and Goofy charged at him, but Lexaeus regained his footing and arrested his own momentum in time to whirl around and knock the valiant knight aside.

"I'll crush you!" Lexaeus bellowed, raising Skysplitter and sinking its blade into the ground. A red aura of power built up around him, and Donald was briefly torn between rushing to his best friend's side and healing him, or pouring all of his power into stopping the hulking Nobody from finishing whatever he was preparing. "FIRAGA! BLIZZAGA! THUNDAGA! GRAVIGA! FLARE!" he screamed in quick succession, bombarding Lexaeus with a multi-elemental barrage before finally conjuring and firing a salvo of colorful firework-like rockets at him. As far as anyone could tell, he was completely unfazed. Gritting his bill in frustration and slapping his own face, Donald stomped his foot and squawked, "That's it! I'm pulling out the big guns, now! Mega-Flare!" Every last drop of power the duck mage had left rushed out of his body and materialized above Lexaeus in the form of a huge cluster of rockets that promptly screamed down upon him, releasing a long string of explosions that kicked up a massive cloud of dust. With no more strength even to stand Donald fell down on his hands and knees, his head bowed and dripping sweat as he gasped for breath. He strenuously lifted his head and squinted into the slowly dispersing dust, hoping he had succeeded. He could only let out a long whining groan of exasperation and despair when he beheld that Lexaeus, though visibly and significantly damaged by his final Hail Mary, was nevertheless still standing and charging up his attack. The magical water fowl courageously pushed himself up to his feet and lifted Save The Queen over his head with one hand, the other rifling through his pockets in search of an Ether or Elixir that he was sadly certain he didn't have, determined not to let a little thing like bone-dead exhaustion stop him from protecting his friends. In the end there was no energy-replenishing item to be found, and finally Donald fell into a rage-fueled quacking fit, threw down his staff, conjured in its stead his biggest, strongest mallet, and bull-rushed Lexaeus. It was time to get Duck Wild.

While all this was going on, Sora was trying to summon someone– _anyone_ –to help him put down the mountain-tough Nobody. He first went through the motions to summon Simba, then Dumbo, then Mushu, then Tinker Bell, and finally Bambi. None of his Summons appeared and Sora finally realized that, like the Princesses of Heart, the four Summons he had found as summon gems must have returned to their worlds when they were restored after he had beaten Ansem. As for Tink, he didn't put it past the temperamental fairy to have simply concluded that their association was over the instant the worlds were restored. As homesick as he felt himself, he couldn't begrudge her for taking the very first chance to flit off back to Neverland. Sora didn't like to call on any one Summon more than once a day if he could help it, but Genie seemed to be the only one he had left. Before he could begin Summoning his best big blue buddy, he heard Donald's quacks of fury and noticed his fine-feathered friend charging head-long at Lexaeus, who was standing and uprooting his blade…which was now encased in solid stone and thus even more massive than before. Eyes flying wide, Sora rushed forward without making a conscious decision; he knew full-well what Donald was like when he was raging. "Donald, no!" Sora shouted. He wasn't going to reach them in time, and cast Aeroga on the overzealous avian in hopes that the magical wind-barrier would be enough to avert a tragedy. Sora called Olympia to his hands and redoubled his speed, desperately hoping for the best.

Lexaeus swung at Donald, but displaying surprising presence of mind the mage brought his mallet down upon the rock-encrusted ax-sword and levered himself into the air, vaulting clear over Lexaeus. "He's all yours, Sora!" he called back as he rushed over to Goofy, who was slowly getting back up to his feet. Lexaeus blinked in bemusement at his sudden lack of a target, the stone around his blade slowly crumbling as his built-up power drained away in the absence of release. Then he heard Sora running up behind him and turned to face the young Keybearer, meeting his charge with another powerful horizontal swing. This time, Sora slid _under_ the swing, then jumped up and struck Lexaeus first in the chin, then his right collarbone, and then delivered a full-force thrust to his stomach. He barely slid backwards, however, and retaliated by simply grabbing Sora by the shoulder and flinging him straight up into the air, then gripping Skysplitter with both hands and bringing it behind his head for a baseball swing.

"Heads up!" shouted a woman's voice; Lexaeus looked down and saw a young woman wearing shorts, suspenders, and a white shirt running to him at full tilt. _'I don't like hitting girls…but there can be no mercy for enemies of the Organization,'_ he thought sourly. He turned and swung at Tifa as she approached. She met his swing with her fist, and her fist _won_. The Skysplitter's stone coating shattered, and the weapon itself vibrated so hard that Lexaeus almost dropped it. Not that it mattered, because the next thing Tifa did was kick the weapon out of his hands. Then, before Lexaeus could gather his wits and counterattack, she sank an Ultimate Haymaker into his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of his lungs and effectively locking down his motor nerves. Then she laid into him with a devastating barrage, channeling her anger and humiliation at having been so easily owned by Luxord. Her power rose as her assault went on, her gloved fists glowing from the heat of friction as she stepped up the speed and force of her punches. Finally, she channeled _everything_ she had, the focused totality of all the physical energy in her body in a single instant, into one last punch, directly into the middle of Lexaeus's sternum, with a battle-kiai of "FINAL HEAVEN!"

Lexaeus flew backwards, backflipping repeatedly, so fast that the air warped around him and his coat ignited from air-friction equal to atmospheric reentry. He flew through several buildings, finally slamming into the side of a distant mountain with such force that the air around him exploded into a mushroom cloud. From the heavens boomed a disembodied voice, roaring, " _ULTRA COMBOOOOOO!_ "

Back in the courtyard, Tifa dusted her hands off and gave a contented sigh of, "All done." She turned to face Donald and Goofy, who were both staring at her with their mouths hanging open in shock. Just then, Sora came falling down crashed into Donald.

He hastily apologized and helped the magician to his feet, and then looked around for Lexaeus. "Where'd the big guy go? And who're youuuuuuuuuuuuuu whoa," he muttered as he first noticed Tifa, and then noticed Tifa's…torso.

Tifa generously ignored his typical teenaged reaction and looked around for Cloud, whom she knew was supposed to be in this area. Aside from a teenaged boy, a duck, a dog, an unconscious redhead, and a bunch of Buster Swords, the only thing she saw in the courtyard was a young man with emo bangs and a large book tucked under his left arm, his right hand holding one of the fake Busters. She turned to face him and raised her fists. "Where's Cloud?" she asked sternly.

"In his worst nightmare," Zexion replied simply. "A nightmare made real, to him at least. Even if he survives, he'll be too weak to be a serious threat."

"I think Cloud got eaten by that book," Sora spoke up, stepping up next to Tifa, trying/failing not to peek at her out of the corner of his eye. He was being more subtle than most, which Tifa actually appreciated somewhat.

Still, she stepped forward and said, "If you don't release Cloud right now, I'm going to take that book and put it somewhere you _really_ won't like. Or maybe you will. I won't judge."

Zexion narrowed his eyes and pointed his False Buster at her. "Do not make idle threats. The power of the Organization is far beyond your– _the hell?!_ " he exclaimed in alarm as his book flew out of his grip and _literally exploded_ , disgorging both Cloud and a second figure, the sight of whom almost gave Tifa a heart attack. Her shock was swiftly supplanted by searing rage.

Cloud had the illusory Sephiroth in a headlock and was repeatedly punching him in the face, despite the full length of Masamune being run through his stomach. Zexion was staring in wide-eyed surprise. "What…but…what…how…huh?" he spluttered, "You're not…you're supposed to destroy the illusion, and then the book releases you! You're not supposed to break the _book_ and bring the _illusion_ out with you!" If the Sephiroth Illusion had heard this, he seemed to choose not to acknowledge that he wasn't supposed to be. Instead, he kicked Cloud away from him, grabbed and yanked Masamune free, and jumped into the air, flapping his wing to gain altitude and distance.

"Cloud, what is going on?!" Tifa exclaimed.

"Kill it first, questions after!" Cloud snapped back, grabbing a Buster Sword at random and flinging it at the airborne Illusion. He hoped that maybe an illusion would at least be able to cut another illusion, but no. As soon as the sword connected with Sephiroth, it exploded into wisps of darkness.

"Relax, Cloud," Sephiroth said softly in that silky smooth and sinfully sexy voice of his, "Neither of us is quite ready for this just yet. But make no mistake…I _will_ be around to check up on you, and we _will_ have our fated rematch. Until then…it was good to see you, Cloud." And with that, he simply flickered away, appearing to have vanished into thin air.

The courtyard was still and silent for a moment, as all eyes lingered on the place where Sephiroth had vanished. Then Cloud glared at Zexion and said, "He's just one of your illusions, right? Dispel him, or so help me I will–"

"I can't!" Zexion blurted, visibly unnerved by this whole turn of events, his condescending façade undone. "The illusions in the book are different from the ones I create with my own power. Illusions in the book are drawn from the mind of the book's captive and fueled by their own darkness. _You_ are the only one that can destroy it! And it shouldn't even have been possible for you to force your way out of the book without destroying the illusion first!"

"Yeah, well, when those two get together physics kind of takes a break," muttered Tifa.

Zexion ran his hands through his hair, forcing his agitated mind to be calm and still. "Alright…let's see, Larxene's gone, Marluxia's gone, Luxord and Saïx are gone, Lexaeus and Axel are down, and I'm quite outnumbered." He silently pondered for another moment, and then nodded. "Yes. I think we're done here. Good day," he said to the gathered heroes, bowing his head and snapping his fingers. Two Dusks sprang up out of nowhere and grabbed Axel, and then along with Zexion they all disappeared in a swirl of thornbeams. A moment later, all of the Buster Swords still scattered across the courtyard evaporated.

"Huh, where–" Cloud started, but a moment later the real Buster Sword _finally_ fell back down from the sky, sinking so deeply into the ground that only an inch or so of the hilt was still visible.

A moment of silence stretched on, and as it finally sank in that the fight had just (somewhat abruptly) ended, Sora's eyes bulged and he gasped, "Where's Roxas and Xion?!"

"If I had a heart," Zexion mused, "I would very much love it when a plan comes together."

In the Round Room, seven of thirteen thrones were occupied; Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, Lexaeus, Zexion, and Axel all stared down at the lowest throne, where Roxas sat bound and gagged. He also had a thunderous glare on his face.

"Did it?" asked Xemnas in what could have been a tone of idle curiosity; rather than Zexion, he had his eyes locked squarely with those of Roxas. "I understand that you missed two of the Keybearers, Zexion." His tone was still light, but Zexion stiffened in his seat. He felt no fear…but he still remembered it, anyways.

"Our initial objective was to retrieve Roxas and Naminé, which we have," Zexion argued. "This new Keybearer–Xion, they call her–was never a primary target, rather more like a…a 'bonus' objective, if you will. As for Sora, it is certainly regrettable that he is no longer on track to go to Castle Oblivion, but retrieving him was not part of our original mission either. As it was, I had to do a good deal of improvising and thinking on my feet to salvage our initial goal."

"And why _didn't_ you bring back the girl?" asked Xaldin critically.

"A fluke," said Zexion dismissively, "In Lexaeus's last attack, Roxas took a blow to the head and was concussed. Xion merely had a bruised shoulder. She was able to fight off the Dusks I sent to snatch them. If I had further dallied, Sora and his allies would have stopped _any_ of us from escaping."

"And those of our number whom have yet not returned?" inquired Xemnas, still engaged in his apparent staring contest with Roxas.

"Saïx and Luxord are at Castle Oblivion, watching over Naminé. Larxene and Marluxia are MIA, though I believe Marluxia is searching for Larxene. As for Demyx, he was last seen by Axel."

"Don't know, don't care," drawled Axel, who had pulled a sheet of paper out of his coat and was folding it into a plane. Then he launched it at Roxas.

"So, what's our new plan for Sora, Boss Man?" asked Xigbar.

Before Xemnas could reply, Vexen abruptly materialized in his throne. "Superior, I have a most urgent need to speak with you. Privately. I'll be waiting in the lab," he said quickly. He teleported back out as quickly as he had come in.

Finally breaking eye contact with the silently seething Roxas, Xemnas stood up in his throne and said, "Axel, take Roxas to your room and keep an eye on him until further notice. Xaldin, you're to take over at Castle Oblivion until Marluxia returns to his post. The rest of you, dismissed."

Axel jumped down to Roxas's seat, and they all teleported out of the Round Room at the same time.

A/N: Boom! Done! Damn…okay, y'all can just bury me now, thanks. I'll get started on the next chapter as soon as I get enough reviews to raise up from the dead. Should only take, what, three days, tops? Anywhowhatsits, the next chapter will wrap up this arc, which serves as a sort of prologue for the rest of the story. Yes, that's right, a seven chapter prologue. Why? BECAUSE I CAN! Also because condensing everything into one chapter would have either resulted in too damn long a chapter for me to reasonable expect anyone to slog through the whole thing, or the pacing would have been crap. Of course, whether or not it was all crap anyways is something for you all to judge.


	7. Loose Ends

A/N: An anonymous Guest put in a request for Roxas and Xion to 'remember', and have a moment. For the record, I'm normally a RokuShi shipper, but I _think_ I might try something different for them in this story. But what I'd like to know is, what did you mean by 'remember'? Remember what, exactly? The Organization's Wi-Fi password? To pick up eggs at the corner market? That the garbage and recycling have to on the curb before 4:00 AM on Tuesday mornings? Please explain what you meant when you review this chapter; in the future, if your review includes requests that I might have questions about, you ought to be logged into your Fanfiction account (which is free to create and doesn't require you to publish stories: I had my account for some six years before I started publishing.) so that we can discuss particulars. In any event, when you do answer my question, be sure to verify your identity with _the secret password_ …eh? You don't know _the secret password_? Alright, I'll give it to you now. Everyone else reading this, please look away and skip the next line. Thank you.

Now then, _the secret password_ is: Swordfish.

Please enjoy the chapter.

* * *

 **A Year Reclaimed.**

 **Chapter 7: Loose Ends**

 **(After a pot finishes boiling over, you're left with a bunch of little sizzling bubbles scattered around. When the storm finally passes, the survivors contend with the wreckage and start rebuilding. Before we can move forward, we have to pick up the pieces.)**

* * *

Rai Jinn woke up with a splitting headache, which would have been a hundred times worse if it weren't for the soothing poultice Aerith had wrapped around his head, but wasn't helped by the thunderous snoring that filled the room. He sat up and looked around, and found that he was in some kind of infirmary that looked like no one had been in for years. The bed nearest to him on his right was occupied by Fuu, who appeared to be asleep in her own bed with her back turned to him, and in another bed on the far end of the room was the old man, Cid, who was the cause of the snoring.

Just then, to his left, the door opened and Vivi walked in, carrying a glass of water. He froze in the doorway, and called back over his shoulder, "Rai's awake!" Then he proceeded inside and sat down in a chair between Rai and Fuu's beds. Moments later, Seifer came running in. Rai told himself he was imagining it…but the look on Seifer's face looked like he had aged ten years since Rai had last seen him earlier that day. But as soon as Seifer's eyes looked onto his number one bro, he broke into a wild grin that was…kind of terrifying and out of character for him, if Rai was being honest with himself, but Seifer at least looked like he _meant_ to look relieved, so Rai greeted him with a casual, "Seifer, bro! Man, what hit me? It felt like I got hit by the train, y'know?"

Seifer looked like he wanted to cry, or give Rai a hug, or slap him upside the head for making jokes at a time like this. But instead he just sat down at the foot of Rai's bed and said matter-of-factly, "The blue-haired guy, Saïx. He knocked you out. But you're lucky, you only caught the broad side of his weapon. Fuu…" Seifer's voice choked, and he glanced over at the white-haired girl before just as quickly turning back away, as if the sight of is friend pained him.

"Seifer," said Rai, not quite speaking softly but dropping the usual edge of bluster from his tone, "What happened to Fuu?"

Seifer took a deep breath and said, "Fuu…she…Saïx hit her in the face, and one of the spikes on his claymore…" Seifer choked again, this time seeming to gasp for breath before his breathing sped up and a tinge of green creeped into his face. He looked like he was either going to burst into tears or throw up, or maybe both.

"Seifer, _what happened to my sister_?" Rai demanded, his voice suddenly hoarse with dread. It couldn't be that she was…they wouldn't bring her into the infirmary if she was actually…Rai glanced over and felt a shock of relief to see that yes, her sleeping form was still breathing.

"Bro, she…she lost an eye," Seifer finally forced out. "Damn it, I'm so sorry, man…I…we never should have left Twilight Town. We never should have left the Sandlot! We– _I_ should have just ignored those guys that were chasing–"

"Seifer, stop!" Vivi squeaked. "You didn't know this would happen– _Rai what are you doing!?_ "

Rai pulled himself out of bed and, despite the fact that his entire body felt like a well-abused punching bag, lumbered around to the far side of Fuu's bed. Fuu Jinn, his younger sister by just a year and a half, his lifelong partner in crime since before they had meet Seifer on the first day of middle school, the only person he knew who could take a complex, three-dimensional human being and reduce them to a summary of all of their faults and failures in three words or less, a person who lived her life by a code of terseness because she genuinely believed that the majority of things a person said were ultimately a waste of their breath; she did _not_ look like an angel in her sleep, at all. Her expression in sleep was every bit as grim and disapproving as it was in waking, as if even her dreams were disturbed by the ruthless inanity of the world. To almost anyone it else, it would have been unsettling. But Rai was her brother, so to him she was beautiful. The bloodstained bandage covering her left eye was nowhere near enough to ruin that. Not to him, at least. However…this immutable blemish on his flesh and blood was an insult to the Jinn name, and he would _not_ let it go unpunished.

"Rai…God, I am _so_ sor–"

"You didn't do this," Rai said hotly. "Those…those people–those _monsters_ –they're responsible, and they're going to pay." He looked up at Seifer, who was standing again. He locked eyes with the young man he idolized, a man he would not fault for his sense of honor and justice. "You and me, an' Fuu too, and even Vivi when it really counts. We're all fighters, but we're used to a way smaller league. We weren't ready for this fight. We _will_ be ready for the next one."

Vivi was so stunned he dropped his glass (which was actually plastic, and so did not shatter, thankfully), and Seifer's jaw dropped. Then he appeared to transform before Rai and Vivi's eyes. Suddenly he was his old self again, arrogant smile and all. "Hey, Rai, I'm pretty sure it's _my_ job to give the inspirational speeches around here."

Rai nodded. "Just giving you a hand up back on to that high horse of yours, y'know?"

* * *

Outside, Aerith wandered the streets of the city, guided by the whispers of the earth beneath her feet. She found Cloud tuning up Fenrir in the hollowed-out shell of an empty building. Tifa was off on the far side of the cavernous room shadow-boxing. Literally, she was boxing a Shadow that she had strung up by one of its feet like a speed bag.

Cloud didn't look up when Aerith came to a stop next to him, but he asked, "How is she?"

"Sleeping," Aerith replied, "I did everything I could. Sora was surprisingly helpful, but…eyes are complicated organs, and the extensive damage…even with more advanced healing magic, I don't think we could have restored it. But, at least it won't get infected and it shouldn't cause her too much pain."

"She was lucky to have you around, Aerith," said Cloud.

Aerith "Hmm"-ed. "Listen, Cloud…I just wanted to apologize–"

"Don't. I told you to call me if you needed my help, but you couldn't reach me, so you did the next best thing." Cloud glanced towards his childhood friend, still pummeling that poor Shadow to within an inch of its life. "Besides…it was nice to see Tifa, even if the first thing she did was literally slap some sense into me."

Aerith grinned. "So that's where this new attitude of yours came from." Then her grin shrunk a bit. "So…have you found out anything?"

"No leads," Cloud replied, his own disappointment unmistakable. "I tracked him as far as Olympus Coliseum, but that's where the trail went cold. I kept doubling back there, hoping I'd find something I missed, but last time I let some evil god of death sucker me into taking a job in exchange for information I never got. Thankfully, a certain boy with a key reminded me of something I'd forgotten lately."

Aerith's eyes widened. "You met Sora? He never mentioned you…then again, I never told him about you, either."

"He's a good kid. Anyone would be lucky to call him a friend. He reminds of…you know…"

Aerith crouched and put a hand on Cloud's shoulder, making him stop in the middle of his ratcheting. Then she gently gripped his chin and made him look directly at her, so he could see the determined fire in her eyes. "We will find Zack. Someday, we _will_ find him, Cloud. He's out there, somewhere, waiting for us to bring him home." Then she pulled the spiky-haired young man into a hug, because one thing she had long known was that, when he wasn't too busy kicking ass and taking names and just generally being the bamfiest swordsman in all the worlds, Cloud Strife could almost always use a hug.

Tifa, having finally obliterated her Shadow, glanced Cloud's way to ask him if he could toss her a water bottle, and froze when she saw him and Aerith hugging. Amusement, annoyance, joy, nostalgia mixed with envy, and a tiny pang of sadness all rolled through her, before she sighed and shook her head, and decided to go and see if she could be useful somewhere.

* * *

"And then he just _left_?" Leon asked in disbelief.

"…yeah…" replied Yuffie. The two of them were sitting on the edge of the old fountain. She had been left relatively unharmed by the battle…but her ego was a whole other story. Almost every inch of her skin was red and burned with itchiness, but her will not to scratch was stronger than iron. Leon was impressed, and wished he could have found some kind of cream or lotion for her.

"He left you tied up in a ball of poison ivy," Leon muttered to himself. "Damn…and I thought Maleficent was evil."

"I'm going to castrate him, Squall," Yuffie growled, "I'm going to feed him his own deep-fried balls. Then I'm going to take his scythe and–"

"Yuffie, my dreams are going to be messed up enough tonight. Please, keep it to yourself," Leon implored.

"Sorry," said the young ninja, her searing rage having made her briefly forget the blender her friend's mind had recently been through. "You're _absolutely certain_ it was her?"

"If I live to be a thousand years old, I'll never forget the sound of her voice. Especially not her laughter," Leon said. "It was her. I don't know how. It shouldn't be possible. But it _was_ her. It couldn't have been anyone else."

Yuffie recognized the tone in Leon's voice. He wouldn't let go of what was building up inside of him until he was alone, because he was that kind of man. But he wouldn't just walk away from her so soon after her own ordeal, either, because he was that kind of friend. So Yuffie stood up and gave a seemingly leisurely stretch, stoically ignoring the way her inflamed skin redoubled its incessant screaming. "Well, I'mma go look for someplace to sleep tonight; maybe I can find my old house. Probably check in on Sora and his new friend. See you tomorrow, Leon. Try to get some sleep."

' _Thank you, Yuffie. You're a good friend,'_ thought Leon. He didn't break down and sob; he wasn't one for such dramatics. But he stopped holding the tears inside, letting them slide down his cheeks. "Wherever you are…I'm going to find you, Rinoa."

* * *

A very nice woman named Shera, whom Sora, Donald, and Goofy were shocked to discover was Cid's _wife_ , ushered the trio into a relatively cleaned up room in what had once been an inn before Maleficent's invasion. The inn was one of several buildings serving as a temporary refuge for all the people who had returned to Hollow Bastion following Ansem's defeat. Sora and Goofy had both immediately collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep, exhausted sleep. Donald, much as he wanted to follow suit, stayed awake long enough to write a letter to the queen summarizing their final battle with Ansem and their subsequent series of skirmishes with this new threat, Organization XIII; most importantly, the letter explained the King's current situation. Donald knew that Her Majesty wouldn't be _too_ worried, since Mickey was in the Realm of Darkness by his own choice; he knew how much he meant to everyone back home, Minnie especially, and was not one to throw himself into unnecessary danger.

He then called up a Moogle and paid him fifty Munny to seek out Merlin and ask him to deliver it. Donald envied the older magician, but knew that it would be many years before he was powerful enough to teleport between worlds like Merlin could. Only then did Donald join his compadres on the bed, using Goofy's arm as a pillow and Sora's back as a foot rest. While the trio slept, they each dreamed of home, and the people they missed after their long adventure.

Of course, Sora's dream turned out to be something more than just a dream. In his dream, he saw through Roxas's eyes and heard through Roxas's ears. He stood in front of the chained-up gate to the mansion where he and the others had jumped in to save Roxas and company. He faced a man in the Organization's black coat, and he spoke in a deep, monotone voice. Despite being completely unfamiliar, it sent shivers down Sora's spine. "You seek answers," he said, and then waved his gloved hand in front of him. Shimmering, translucent letters appeared in the empty air between them, spelling out A-R-O-S. After a moment of confusion, Sora realized with a mild shock that it was his own name spelled backwards, and then with a greater shock that, from the stranger's perspective, it _was_ Sora's name. "You feel nothing. Nothing is real," said the stranger. Sora wanted to open Roxas's mouth and argue to the contrary, but then he was struck by a disconcerting wave of self-contradiction. On one hand, he still felt like good old Sora, but on the other hand he also felt a profound emptiness; a strange sense of lacking, as if he had no past, no memories, no sense of self. Most terrifying of all, he realized that the stranger was right; he, or at least the other he, _didn't_ feel anything, and he realized that it was Roxas's feelings (or lack thereof, rather) that he was feeling.

"I can give you purpose," the stranger offered. Sora wanted to speak up, to tell him where he could put his offer, but he set back helplessly, a passenger in the backseat of Roxas's mind, as Roxas mutely nodded. Nature abhors a vacuum, and in the absence of purpose or self a being will latch onto the first thing that comes along, it would seem. The stranger waved his hand again and the letters glowed and started swirling around Sora/Roxas, until suddenly they stopped with a bright flash as a new letter appeared in the middle of the now-rearranged letters. They now spelled S-A-X-O-R, which Sora quickly ran backwards in his head, and then he felt like his jaw would drop if he were still in his own body. To eliminate all possibility that he was mistaken, the stranger said, "Roxas. That is right–the new you."

Then, the next thing Sora knew, he/Roxas was sitting on the edge of a clock tower, eating sea-salt ice cream, sitting next to _Axel_ or all people. Then he/Roxas was standing next to Axel in a big, round white room lined with towering thrones, occupied by all the members of Organization XIII they had fought and then some. "Let us all welcome one of the Keyblade's Chosen," spoke the monotonous voice from earlier. Roxas, who was now wearing the black coat as well, looked up and Sora saw that the speaker was a man with yellow eyes and silver hair, and he looked familiar somehow. He kind of resembled Ansem, a bit, but he also looked like someone else whose name, and face for that matter, Sora couldn't seem to recall. Then Roxas's voice spoke in Sora's head, as monotonous as the silver-haired man, "For the seven days since my arrival–the name Roxas, and the number thirteen were all I had. Who the people around me were, what they wanted, or what they were trying to do, I had no idea…"

Then there was darkness. He heard an old man's voice, one that was once again completely unknown to Sora but still felt deeply familiar, and caused alien sensations of fear and anger to bubble up inside of him. The voice sounded muted, as if he was speaking on the other side of a thick wall. "There, you see? An empty world, like a prison. I imagine you will be right at home." Sora felt numb at first, but then sensations started filtering in: a cool night air breeze, something silky and warm wrapped around his body leaving only his face exposed, and then the smell of saltwater mixed with ripe paopu; the heartaching scent of home.

"Who's there?" asked a voice that sounded like Roxas, but something told Sora it was someone new. He felt as though he was falling slowly, gently drifting as though he were sinking through water, but he didn't feel any wetness. His feet hit solid ground, and then there was blinding light under the darkness. Then his perspective inverted; he was nowhere and everywhere, looking in at a shirtless boy who looked just like Roxas. But still, something told Sora it wasn't. _"I'm a brand-new heart,"_ replied…something. It wasn't a voice so much as a thought, and it sent the strangest feeling of familiarity through Sora…almost as if it was something he had said himself. "But this is––Why are you in my heart?" asked not-Roxas.

" _The light brought me,"_ replied the…presence. The presence that felt like Sora himself. _"I saw it shining in the distance…and followed it here."_

"Yeah, that was my light. But my heart is fractured," said the boy. "And now the little I have left is slipping away."

Sora's perspective widened, and he saw that it was true. The boy was standing on a pillar of light, like the pillars of stained glass in his own Dive to the Heart. But there was a huge chunk missing from it.

" _Then you should join your heart with mine,"_ suggested the Sora-like presence to the Roxas-like boy.

"Huh?" asked not-Roxas. There was a blinding glow, and as the missing piece of the pillar was filled in with new light the presence continued, _"Now our hearts have touched. Nothing else will slip away. And one day…you'll be strong enough to win back the part that already did."_

"Right. Thanks."

" _It's time to wake up now. All we need to do is…"_

"Open the door," Not-Roxas finished for him. Then the light bloomed once more…

Then he was lying under the night sky, watching a meteor shower. As before he had the sensation of being in someone else's body, hearing through their ears and seeing through their eyes, as he had with Roxas. This body felt like Roxas…but not like Roxas. It was the boy from before, though now he was fully clothed. He dozed off…and then he was staring up at a pretty young woman with bright blue hair.

"Whoa! Gimme a break, Aqua."

"Ven, you hopeless sleepyhead," she replied.

" _Whoa! Gimme a break, Kairi!"_

" _Sora, you lazy bum."_

Then Sora was in another memory, one of his own this time. He was four years old, chasing five-year-old Riku down the beach at sunset.

"Hey, wait up!" he called.

"Too slow, Sora! See you at the finish line!" Riku called back.

They ran under the bridge. Riku won, of course. "One more time!" Sora demanded as soon as he caught his breath. "You just got lucky." He noticed Riku staring at something on the bridge, so he looked up, and there was the woman from before. Aqua.

She laughed and jumped down. Sora jumped back in surprise.

"One of you might be special enough," she said to them, though Sora thought there was a trace of sadness in her voice. "Hey, you two mind telling me your names?"

"I'm Sora!"

"And you?"

"Riku."

"Sora, do you like Riku?" Aqua asked him.

"Of course I do! He's my best friend!"

"Good. So then, if something happens, and Riku is about to get lost––or say, he starts wandering down a dark path alone––you make sure to stay with him and keep him safe."

Sora and Riku exchanged confused looks, but Aqua continued, "That's your job Sora, and I'm counting on you to do it, okay?"

Then he was the other boy, the not-Roxas boy named Ven, again. He fought with a Keyblade against a sinister armored figure that also had a Keyblade, and then Mickey was there. Then he was somewhere else, and he was _so cold_ , and he was _so furious_ , and then the dream dissolved into a rapid barrage of memories flashing by, out of order and with little to no context, and then–

Then Sora woke up and bolted up in bed. It was night, and Donald and Goofy were nowhere to be seen. Sora' head hurt, and his heart…felt empty. As if there was something that was supposed to be there that wasn't, something he was missing that he hadn't noticed was gone until now. "Ven?" Sora asked himself, not sure if he was calling for him or asking himself if the he knew the name. It felt familiar…but didn't…but did…

"Ugh. Weird dreams again," Sora grumbled. He smacked his dry lips and got out of bed, leaving the room to look for something to drink.

* * *

Xemnas materialized in Vexen's laboratory, his curiosity already piqued by Number 4's uncharacteristically abrupt and terse summons (he was generally more polite to the Superior, as well as prone to posturing about the incomprehensible importance of his work and himself to the Organization). His curiosity was further piqued when he saw how agitated the Chilly Academic seemed; he was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet with a troubled look on his feet, somewhere halfway between worry, disgust, and distress. Between the older Nobodies, emotive gestures such as these were not used to alleviate the monotony of their emotionless existences, as it was with the neophytes.

Between the older Nobodies, such as Xemnas and Vexen, emoting was used as a form of non-verbalized shorthand, a means of saying several things without speaking. Vexen's worried, distressed, disgusted look wasn't meant to convey that he was feeling any of those things, but that the situation at hand _would_ inspire those emotions. His look told the Superior, 'something very bad has happened, something that might terribly compromise our operations, and aside from taking all necessary countermeasures we should also immediately begin planning an appropriately horrible punishment for those who had the nerve to cross us in such an audacious way.' With all of that going without saying, Vexen immediately launched into explaining.

"You recall that shortly after the world known as Destiny Islands fell to Darkness, you tasked several of us with covertly shadowing and observing the new Keyblade wielder called Sora?" asked Vexen. They both understood that the question was purely rhetorical, so Xemnas was neither offended nor surprised when Vexen immediately continued, "And you recall that after Number 13 was recruited you canceled future missions to shadow the Keybearer and instructed me to implement the compiled data to produce a Replica of him, yes?"

Again, Xemnas understood that the question was rhetorical, so instead of saying 'yes' or 'no' he asked, "Is the Replica finished, then?"

"Yes," replied Vexen grimly, "But it's been stolen."

A moment of silence passed, and Xemnas belatedly reacted, "Wait…what? Stolen? From here, deep within the bowels of Castle Oblivion?"

Vexen wanted to protest his workspace being described as 'bowels', but elaborated, "Yes, stolen. It was in here, awaiting activation." He gestured at a pod set into the wall, labeled 'No. _i_ '.

Xemnas stared blankly at the empty pod. "How?" he asked.

"I can only speculate, Superior," replied Vexen.

"Then what is your speculation?" Xemnas asked.

"You recall the plan we were developing for Sora _before_ we found Naminé?" asked Vexen.

"We were going to have Marluxia subdue him and repurpose one of your Replica Pods to serve as a mechanism for overwriting his memories, installing our own data the same way the pods are designed to install artificial memories into your Replicas," Xemnas recalled.

"But in light of the power Sora and his companions displayed when battling the Prime Heartless, along with the revelation of Naminé and her power to alter memories from a distance, we decided that it would be safer to use her to rewrite his memories by degrees, rather than attempt to use force, starting with Naminé inserting herself as the most precious person in Sora's memories and using her as bait to lure him deeper into the castle, softening him up to ensure Marluxia's decisive victory; if physical force was even still necessary by that point." Vexen stepped over to the pod and laid a hand on its control console. "But while the original plan was abandoned, I nevertheless made use of the modifications I had made to this pod to increase the efficiency of memory-installation. Particularly, rather than writing Sora's Replica from code as I had intended I was able to base it on the memories of those who had been assigned to observe Sora; memories I copied from the observers using this very pod. Specifically, since this Replica was intended as a weapon, I only used memories of Sora in combat. Long story short, _this_ Replica was based not only on data, but on _pure_ _memory_. Memory, which is Naminé's Attribute."

"What is it that you are suggesting, No. IV?" Xemnas inquired.

"We know that Naminé didn't steal the Replica on her way out of here, because Axel only reported chasing down her and Roxas. But a third subject, wearing _our_ coat and wielding _Sora's_ Keyblade appeared out of nowhere in the middle of their flight through Twilight Town. Here again, this is purely speculation that is not at all based on any available empirical evidence, but given the facts as they stand my best guess is this: at some point, Naminé was cornered by Demyx, whom Axel sent after her while he himself fought Roxas, and in a fit of desperation she may have attempted to draw on Sora's combat memories to construct some kind of guardian–which she could have plausible thought to try, as at her inquiry I did explain the role of memory in Replication to her a few days ago–but instead unconsciously _summoned_ this entirely memory-based Replica to her side. But that's just an educated guess, Superior."

"Hmm. But then, how was the Replica activated?" Xemnas questioned.

Vexen just shrugged. "I have no idea. Through Naminé's pure force of will, for all I know. I believed it impossible to transmute a Heartless directly back into a person, but Kairi did exactly that to Sora, and Naminé is her Nobody. Kairi, being a Princess of Heart, cannot become a Heartless and thus should not be capable of having a Nobody at all, so Naminé's state of being is even more puzzling than ours. In fact, I might go so far as describing her as something of a cosmic wildcard. Apparently she was somehow able to completely divert our plans for Sora, seeing how as soon as his allies picked him up he had them take him directly to the very world where we were in the process of recapturing Roxas and Naminé, which he did not hesitate to prevent. Based on that, I can only conclude that Naminé used her abilities to plant a false memory in Sora's mind–from _several worlds away_ , mind you–that compelled him to come to her aid. And, incidentally, conveniently drawing him away from our trap."

Vexen turned to face his Superior. "All the available evidence points to one thing, Superior. Naminé single-handedly derailed _all_ of our plans for the Keybearer, and though we have her back in our custody I do not imagine she will be compelled to stop throwing spanners into our works."

Xemnas frowned. "What are you suggesting now, No. IV?"

Vexen's expression was grimmer than ever. "For the sake of our plans, and to ensure the success of the Organization…Naminé must be terminated."

Xemnas gave no visible reaction, of course, but the silence that followed meant that he was thinking it over intensely. "I shall take your suggestion under advisement, No. IV." Then Xemnas noticed another pod, this one appearing to have been shattered, and pointed to it. "What happened to that one?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, that. That's an even more puzzling mystery, Superior. Somehow, Riku appeared in the lowest basement of this very castle, and I fought him to gauge his strength. Seeing as Sora failed to show up here as planned, I wondered if Riku might not serve as a worthy substitute. Using the data I acquired, I assembled a Replica of him, which I was getting ready to activate before Zexion called for reinforcements to secure Roxas and Naminé. When I got back, it was also gone. Unlike the case with No. _i_ , however, this Replica does not seem to have been spirited away. As you can see, it broke out of its own pod. My analysis of the damage indicates that the pod was destroyed from _within_. Now that I've appraised you of the situation regarding our Sora Replica, I intend to personally scour the castle for it. You wouldn't mind if I brought in some Dusks and Creepers to assist, would you? And might I ask if Lexaeus and Zexion will be returning to their posts soon?"

"Do as you see fit regarding your creation, No. IV," replied Xemnas. "No. V is recovering from serious damage sustained in the battle at Hollow Bastion, and Zexion is seeking out a rogue illusion of his. No. X and Saïx are here to fill in for them, and No. III is in charge of the castle until Marluxia returns with No. XII. Enlist one of them, of you need to, but I do not want Naminé left unattended until I decide her fate."

"Ah. Very well. Thank you for your time, Superior," said Vexen, bowing politely. Xemnas nodded and Corridored out.

* * *

After getting a drink of water, Sora left the inn to go for a walk. He wandered around town aimlessly, and found Xion sitting alone on the edge of an old, long-dried-up fountain. "Hey, Xion!" he called to the other Keybearer.

"Hmm? Oh, hey, Sora," she replied, nodding at him before going back to staring up at the sky. Sora sat down next to her and joined her in her stargazing. Xion was a complete mystery to him. Who was she? Where was she from? Why did she have a Keyblade? Why did she have _his_ Keyblade? What was her connection to Roxas and Naminé? What was her connection to Organization XIII? And did she herself even know _any_ of the answers to these questions? But Sora's head was already full of confusing nonsense, so he was in no mood to give her the fourth degree. For now, he was content with the fact that she was on their side. And for now, he was equally content just to stare up at the sky with her for silent company. Well, maybe one question wouldn't hurt…

"Which one's yours?" he asked, waving his hand at the ocean of stars above them. "Do you know?" Xion mutely shook her head. "I think…yeah, that one's mine, definitely," said Sora, pointing out a single star. He didn't know how, but he felt almost positive that _that_ star was Destiny Islands. He could feel the hearts of his friends and loved ones, of Kairi and his parents, calling out to him from there.

"Is it nice there?" asked Xion.

"Course it is! It's my home. Home is where the heart is, didn't anyone ever tell you that?" Sora asked with his trademark dopey grin.

Xion frowned. "I thought my heart was here?" she tapped her chest.

"Nah. That's not your _real_ heart. That's just a big squishy muscle that pumps blood through your body. Your real heart…that's wherever you call home. Where you come from, where the people most important to you live, and where you always want to go back to after a crazy adventure. I can't wait to go back…but there's a couple things I have to do, first. Promises to keep, and all that."

Xion 'Hmm'-ed again. "I don't have a home. I didn't come from anywhere. Naminé created me to protect her and Roxas from Organization XIII…but I failed." Her frown deepened and she dropped her gaze, staring at the ground.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. The Organization was pretty trick– _wait_! Did you say Naminé _created_ you?" Sora asked incredulously.

"Well…I wasn't one second, and then I was, and Naminé said she…no, she said she summoned me. I…I don't know. The first thing I remember is Naminé asking me to protect her. There wasn't anything before that…or maybe there was? Maybe I was asleep? Or maybe I was fighting. I remember…I _think_ I remember fighting." Xion shook her head. "I honestly don't know, Sora. I wish I could ask Naminé."

"You will. As soon as we save her and Roxas from the Organization, you can ask her," said Sora.

"We?" asked Xion. "You'll help me?"

"What? Of course I will!" said Sora. He stood up and conjured his Keyblade. This time, Kingdom Key appeared without hesitation. "I _am_ the Keyblade master, after all. Saving people is what Keyblade masters do best!"

"…thank you, Sora," Xion said softly. Then she frowned again. "Isn't that…my Keyblade?"

"Huh? Oh, no, it's mine," said Sora. "And so are the ones Roxas was using before." To prove his point, he transformed Kingdom Key into Oathkeeper, and then Oblivion. Then he dismissed the Keyblade and sat back down. "Don't know _how_ you guys got them. Do you know where you got the Keyblade from?"

Xion shook her head. "It was just…there…when I needed it." She held out her hand, and after a moment she frowned again. Her face screwed up in concentration, and then she huffed before dropping her hand. "I guess I don't need it right now."

"Yeah, that's pretty much how I got mine, too. Weird though, mine comes whenever I want it too. Maybe you're just not strong enough yet?"

"Maybe. Sora…when _my_ crazy adventure is over, where will _I_ go? I don't have a home."

"Well…home doesn't _have_ to be a place. It can just be the people you belong with. Back at the islands there are these people who wander from island to island. Sea nomads. They say that 'home isn't a place where you live, it's the people you live with'. So…I guess, maybe Naminé and Roxas will be your home?"

"I see…who is it that makes that star your home?" asked Xion, pointing out the star Sora had indicated.

"Hmmm. Well, there's my Mom and Dad…and Kairi," Sora added, blushing a little, "And then there's my best friend, Riku–but he's not there right now–and then Riku's parents, they're kind of like an aunt and uncle to me. And there's my other friends, Tidus and Wakka and Selphie."

"Your heart has a lot of people in it," Xion commented.

"Huh?!"

"You said 'home is you're your heart is' and 'home is the people you live with'. So the people you live with live in your heart, and that's your home, right?"

"Huh. Yeah, I guess that's one way of looking at it," Sora agreed.

"But I wasn't able to protect Roxas and Naminé…even if we do save them, what if…what if they don't want me around anymore?" Xion asked. Her tone sounded close to heartbreak.

"Hey, don't say that! They wouldn't–" Sora began, before he stopped and considered the fact that he really didn't know them that well. He quickly rallied, though. "Well, even if they don't want you, you can come live on the islands with me and my family. You could be the little sister I've always wanted!" Xion started giggling at his declaration. Sora scratched the back of his neck and continued, "Though, you look more like you'd be Kairi's sister. You just have to help me find Riku, first. I promised Kairi I'd bring him home, too, so I can't go home until I find him."

"What are they like? Kairi and Riku. You talk about them all the time."

"Oh, they're just the best people in the worlds. Heh, especially Kairi. She's smart, and funny, and braver than most girls–uh, no offense–and she knows a lot of neat things, like how to make good luck charms," Sora pulled out the Wayfinder Kairi had lent him to show to Xion, "And if you tease her she teases you right back instead of crying, and…and she's pretty, and…" here Sora started blushing again and his rambling turned to mumbling. Xion laughed at him.

"I can tell she means a lot to you. What's Riku like?" she asked.

"Riku's _awesome_. He's kind of like a big brother to me and all the other kids on our island. He's always cool and calm–when he's not possessed by a Heartless, anyways–and he _never_ gets scared, and he's really strong, too. I'm the _only_ one who can beat him. And he's always looking out for everyone else, too. I mean…yeah, he kind of, accidentally, sort of, destroyed our world, a little, but it wasn't his fault! The darkness was messing with him, and I fixed it anyways, so no big deal, right?"

"Do…do you think your friends, Kairi and Riku…do you think they would like me as much as you do?" Xion asked.

"Of course they would. Kairi's like me; she can be best friends with _anyone_. Riku might take a little while to get used to you, but like I said he's like everyone's big brother. It won't take long for him to adopt you, too."

"Okay then…I can't wait to meet them," said Xion. "Right after we save Roxas and Naminé, right, Sora?"

"Right," he answered with a confident, reassuring nod.

And both of them looked back up to the stars with a renewed sense of hope.

* * *

"OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" the Queen of Hearts screamed in outrage and terror as the man in black tore through her ineffectually valiant card-soldiers like a deadly whirlwind of flashing steel and glowing cherry blossoms. The last of her soldiers threw themselves upon him, courageously fighting to the bitter end on behalf of a mad tyrant who did nothing to deserve their loyalty. Or maybe they were all just hopelessly stupid?

Regardless, Marluxia ripped them to shreds, all the way down to the last man…card…thing, standing. The Queen jumped down from her throne and turned tail to run out of the garden, but with a rush of wind and a burst of cherry petals, Marluxia flickered into her path. Without a doubt, the Queen thought, this day had gone downhill ever since that surly flamingo had ruined her croquet game by electrocuting anyone who touched her. Even the Queen's own royal hair was still frizzed and stuck up every with way, and the White Rabbit was an unrecognizable white puffball.

"Your Majesty," Marluxia greeted her with a faux-affable tone. Casually, he laid the head of Graceful Dahlia upon her shoulder, its blade curling behind her neck. "I understand you have something of a fetish for decapitation. But why limit yourself to enjoying such pleasures vicariously? You really ought to try it out for yourself, Your Bloodiness," Marluxia proposed with a slasher-smirk.

The Queen broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, "Pluh-pluh-please, er…"

"You may address me as…'Your Grace'," Marluxia supplied.

"Yuh-Your Grace, pluh-please…whatever you want, you c-can have. Muh-muh-my kingdom, even! Juh-juh-just pluh-please, d-uh-duh-don't tuh-take my heh-heh-heh-heh–"

"Your head?" Marluxia finished. With his free hand he stroked his chin. "Hmm. Your whole kingdom, just to keep your head? Seems an unfair price to me, Your Majesty. Your head isn't _that_ valuable."

"Anything your heart desires, you can have it, just _please_ spare me, Your Grace!" the Queen sobbed hysterically.

Her sobbing abruptly ceased as Marluxia leaned in and cupped her chin with his left hand, while his right hand inched the edge of his blade ever so closer to her skin, just enough for her to feel the metal biting the nape of her neck. At this distance her terror was overshadowed by the realization of his ethereal beauty. A bloody demon with the face of an angel, and his breath smelled of sweet, red roses. "I have no heart, Your Majesty," he whispered gently, so low that even this close she had to focus quite attentively to hear him, "Nor have I any sense of mercy you can appeal to. If you truly wish to keep your precious head, you must desist in your insipid whining and agree to give me exactly what I want. Am I clear?"

The Queen didn't dare move her head to nod, not with Graceful Dahlia flush against her neck, but she eagerly said in a trembling voice, "Yes, yes of course, Your Grace."

…

Shortly thereafter, Marluxia wandered through the Lotus Forest. "Larxene?" he called out, "Where have you gone, you silly bird? I have the Tonic."

"Was that a _pun_ , you asshole?" demanded a familiar voice from above him. Marluxia looked up to see a flamingo perched on a tree branch. Two pink feathers on its head stood up and swept back, like Larxene's 'antennae'.

"So what if it was? Do you want this or not?" he asked, holding up a fist-sized glass phial, mostly spherical but with a flat bottom and topped with a glass stopper that had been cut to resemble a diamond, filled with liquid that came in a rich shade of purple.

Quicker than greased lightning, Larxene flapped down with a joyous honk and zeroed in on the Tonic of True-Self in Marluxia's hand; a formidable formula potent enough to counteract _any_ _and_ _all_ of the many transformative potions, sweets, and other miscellaneous edibles that could be found in Wonderland. If anything could reverse what the Genie had done to the Savage Nymph, this Tonic was as good a place to start as any.

Despite her superior speed, Marluxia was still able to sidestep her and keep the Tonic in his hand. "Ah-ah-ah," Marluxia admonished, waving the Tonic in front of her beak, "I had to go through some trouble to get this for you–"

"Bull!"

"Fine, I had to go through some tedious inconvenience to get this for you," Marluxia amended. "If you want it, you're going to have to be a good little homicidal sadist, okay?"

"Marluxia," said Larxene with a pleading tone, "If you give me the _goddamn_ Tonic, I'll [BLEEPBLEEPBLEEPBLEEPBLEEEEEEEEEEEEP] for you, alright?!"

Marluxia, to his credit, did not drop his jaw. He was struck dumb for a moment, and a good deal of blood rushed into his face as he said with forced evenness, "I was only jesting…No. XII. There will be no need for…any of _that_." He cleared his throat and reasserted his cold composure before setting down the Tonic and pulling out the stopper. "I would not go through such inconvenience only to deny you," he muttered as he stepped back.

Whether it was because Larxene didn't trust him not to pull another fast one, or just because she was so damn anxious to shed her unwanted avian form, she flickered to the Tonic, grabbed it in her beak and upended it as quickly as Nobody-ly possible. A mystical Purple Mountain Majesty aura enveloped her, producing a field of magical power so intense that it lifted her off the ground, and in a brilliant flash of light that made the entire forest shudder and yell for someone to turn down the light because _some of them_ happened to be third-shift foragers, Larxene was returned to her normal form.

Rather than dispersing gradually and letting her drift gently to the forest floor, the Tonic's energy field abruptly cut off and made her fall like a graceless sack of flour. Fortunately for her, Marluxia had enough grace for any two people to share and impulsively lunged forward to catch her.

"Th-thanks, Marluxia…" Larxene groaned, her second sudden transformation of the day leaving her feeling a bit woozy.

"Hmm. Larxene, you appear to be nude," Marluxia commented casually.

" _WHAT!?_ "

"I said, you appear–"

I heard you the first [BLEEP] time," Larxene gasped, shooting out of his arms and taking cover behind a tree.

Marluxia chuckled before waving a hand. A corridor of darkness appeared and dropped one of his own spare Black Coats on the forest floor before collapsing. A crackling electrical blur shot out from behind the tree and shot back just as quickly, leaving nothing but a few sparks snapping across the patch of ground where the coat had lain. A moment later, a slightly-more-than-fully covered Larxene stepped out from behind the tree. The coat she wore dragged along the ground behind her, covered her hands entirely, and if she were to pull the hood up she wouldn't be able to see where she was going, but it would get her home to the Castle, at least.

"Thank you, Marluxia," Larxene said again, more sedately this time. Though he knew it was an act, Marluxia couldn't help but be amused by Larxene's behavior.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually sound grateful, Larxene," Marluxia commented. He opened another corridor of darkness and gestured for her to go through. "Go change into your own attire, and come back. We're taking the rest of the day off and compensating ourselves for the wretched debacle that the last few hours have been."

Larxene perked up. "Can we go to that coffeehouse in Twilight Town? The one with the cherry scones and éclairs?"

"Sure. After your being transformed into a flamingo and used as a croquet mallet, and me having to waste my time cutting through so many pathetic, weak fools, we deserve a treat," said Marluxia. "Now be quick about changing or I'm going without you."

In the time it had taken him to finish speaking, Larxene had bounded through and reemerged, properly attired in her own coat, which was curiously zipped all the way down. "Alright, let's go!" she said excitedly, opening the new corridor herself. Marluxia wondered at the energy she was putting into this façade of joy. She was usually much more laidback in her emoting. He also idly wondered at the faint prickling feeling, much like the pins and needles one feels in one's feet after crouching on them for too long and then standing, that emerged somewhere in the depths of his chest when Larxene smiled at him before jumping through the corridor. Marluxia shook away such trivial curiosities and followed his junior, looking forward to those delicious scones.

* * *

"Crazy day, huh?" Axel asked as he flopped down on Roxas's bed. Roxas himself was still tied up and seated in a chair in the corner. Axel pulled a couple of Atomic Fireballs out of his pocket, unwrapped them, and popped them in his mouth. "Hey, could you stop looking at me like I set your dog on fire?" he asked in response to Roxas's murderous glare.

"Where's Naminé?" he asked, growling. It was the first thing he had said since being brought back, not counting the inarticulate rage-screaming when the Dusks had dragged him into the Round Room.

"Castle Oblivion, where she belongs," Axel replied. He narrowed his eyes. "Hey, cut the act, man. It's cool that you somehow went from full-zombie to being able to fully emote over the course of an afternoon; really, I'm in awe of your sharp-as-hell learning curve, truly I am. But c'mon, dude, there's no one to put on an act for here. You sure as hell aint gonna impress–let alone _intimidate_ –me with your stupid angry act."

"Who's acting?" Roxas seethed. "I _hate_ you, Axel. You took me away from Xion and Sora…you took _Naminé_ away from _me_. I hate you, Axel, and I'll _never forgive you_!" Roxas screamed.

Axel rolled his eyes, got up, walked over to Roxas, and casually _bitch-slapped_ him fully across the face, the ' _smack_ ' echoing in the small room. "Knock it off, No. XIII," said Axel coldly, "You're being stupid. You'd need a heart to hate someone…though it's true, you can't forgive without a heart, either. That's okay, we don't have to like each other–we _can't_ like each other, technically speaking–we just need to work together to create Kingdom Hearts."

"You're the stupid one!" Roxas yelled in his face, "Xemnas is just using you as a tool, so he can get what _he_ wants!"

"What Xemnas wants is to restore our existences by giving us back the hearts that the darkness took from us," Axel retorted, reciting the Organization's mission statement from memory. Because, of course, he had it memorized. "To do that, we need Kingdom Hearts. But since your 'buddy' Sora and that a-hole Mouse King locked it away with Keyblades from _both_ Realms, we can't _have_ the real thing, so we have to make do with a copy. To create that copy, we have to have a Keyblade to release the hearts from the Heartless. Conveniently, with the real Kingdom Hearts locked up in the Realm of Darkness, all the hearts released by the Keyblade will gather here in the Realm of In-Between, instead."

"Oh yeah? Well if it's as simple as replacing your lost hearts, why do you need hundreds of thousands? Why isn't twelve enough?" Roxas asked, still angry but realizing that raging against Axel wasn't going to get him anywhere. Sora had asked why he and Naminé hadn't just explained the truth to the others, and Naminé had said that Xemnas would destroy them all before they could get anywhere. Now, it seemed like Roxas's best chance was to try reasoning with at least _one_ of the Nobodies.

"Idiot, if we just grabbed a few hearts and shoved them into ourselves we would just have _other_ people's hearts, not our own. To create our own hearts, we need the source of _all_ hearts…Kingdom Hearts, that is. Got it memorized?" Axel questioned, jabbing his finger against Roxas's forehead.

"But it _won't_ be Kingdom Hearts. It'll just be a bunch of lost hearts clumped together. It'll just _look_ like Kingdom Hearts…but it'll still be a source of incredible power, won't it? Power Xemnas could use to make any world, or even _all_ the worlds, bend to his will, right?" Roxas reasoned.

Axel chuckled humorlessly, "What, you think you're some expert on hearts now? Listen, Xemnas and Vexen and Zexion, their Others were all scientists who were studying hearts before we all got Nobodied. I think they know a _little_ bit more than you do about Kingdom Hearts. If they say we can do this, we can. You're, like, a week old? The hell do you know?" Axel frowned thoughtfully for a moment, and then added, "And hey, it's _thirteen_ hearts, not twelve. You're _still_ one of us, even if you are being a dick right now."

"I. Don't. NEED. A HEART!" Roxas screamed, "I have one already! And you know how I know? Because I _don't know_ how to _act_ like I have one! I don't know how to fake feelings like you do, but I do feel…I feel a lot! I feel angry at Xemnas for putting me here, and I feel angry at you for not listening to me, and I feel angry at the whole Organization for wanting to keep me here! Most of all, I feel angry at _myself_ for not being strong enough to stop you from taking back Naminé! And I also feel sad; sad that I might never see Sora, or Xion, or Donald, or Goofy, or Leon, or Aerith, or Yuffie again. I feel _terrified_ for what you _assholes_ might do to Naminé…what might be happening to her right now." Moisture started building up in his eyes, and he kept going even as Axel's eyes widened and he took a step back, "My heart's _aching_ because I know that Naminé must be scared and maybe even in pain right now, and I know that she's as worried about me as I am for her…and I'm afraid for what Xemnas might do if he gets the power he's after–"

"Stop it!" Axel yelled, lunging forward and planting his hands on the armrests of the chair, practically spitting in Roxas's face as he leaned in and continued yelling, "You! Can't! Feel! None of what you _think_ you're feeling is real! It's all fake, all pretend, just like––it's all in your damn head, okay?! We can't feel _shit_ , alright, _none_ of us can, and that's why we need–"

"Xemnas," Roxas interrupted, "You need him because he's got you all thinking that you need him to get your hearts back, right? That's how he controls you. I hate you, Axel, but I also _pity_ you because you're just Xemnas's puppet."

"Gragh!" roared Axel as he slapped Roxas again, and then backhanded him for good measure. "Shut up! Shut the hell up, you stupid little know-it-all punk! You're so damn _stupid_! If Xemnas is lying to us, if we really do have hearts, wouldn't we know?! Wouldn't we know what's inside of us?!"

"What's with the angry act, Axel?" asked Roxas with a smug grin, despite the thin line of blood running from the corner of his mouth, "There's no one here for you to act for, so who are you trying to fool?"

"I'm _trying_ to make you shut your stupid face!"

"Why? If you really think I can't feel fear, then what's the point of putting on an act to intimidate me? Just knock it off, No. VIII, you're being stupid– _grrk_!" Roxas grunted as Axel screamed and slammed his fist into the blonde's face.

"Just [BLEEP] shut up, okay?!" Axel demanded. He summoned Eternal Flames and said, "If you keep this up, I _swear_ I'm gonna–"

"Stop it, Axel," Roxas gasped, blood streaming from his nose. "If you really have no heart, _stop_ acting angry _right now_. Unless you can't. Unless your rage isn't really just metaphorical."

"How the hell can I stop, I'm effing _pissed_ , Ventus!" Axel screamed, his outrage climaxing as fire gushed around his feet. The flames conveniently incinerated the ropes binding Roxas, though the magically-reinforced Black Coat he'd been stuffed back into was undamaged.

Roxas, however, was too stunned by Axel's admission of emotion to react. "…Ventus?" he asked, perplexed.

"Huh?" grunted Axel, breathing heavily through his nose. "Who's 'Ventus'?"

"I don't know, that's what you called me. You tell me, who's Ventus?" asked Roxas.

"I don't _know_ any 'Ventus', you idiot. Get it memorized!" Axel growled. Then he gasped in pain and dropped his chakrams, clapping a hand over his forehead.

" _This yours?"_

" _Lea, we don't have time for this."_

" _Lighten up, Isa. It'll only take a sec. You still play with toy swords? That's cute. Now this right here––tada! Whaddaya think?"_

" _Not a whole lot."_

" _You're just jealous. I'm Lea. Got it memorized? What's your name?"_

" _Ventus."_

Axel shook his head clear and removed his hands. Roxas's eyes widened at the sight of a glowing red 'X', outlined in black, that had appeared on Axel's forehead. It quickly faded away.

"Ugh, that was weird," said Axel, shaking his head again. "You really are nothing but a giant headache, Roxas. You know that?"

"…you were angry," Roxas muttered, "You were _really_ , truly angry. What happened?" he asked himself as much as he asked Axel.

Axel just rolled his eyes. "Don't be dumb, Roxas. I _can't_ get angry, any more than you can. We don't have hearts, after all." Then he smirked and jabbed at his own temple, "Got it memorized?" Then he frowned. "Hey, weren't you just tied up? Where'd your ropes go?"

Roxas opened his mouth to speak, but found that he was shaking too hard to form an articulate thought. _'Axel…what the hell has the Organization done to you?'_ he wondered, horrified.

* * *

 _Forward:_

He opened his eyes slowly, and groaned. His head was pounding and his chest felt like it was burning on the inside, but he wasn't sure why. He tried to remember what happened to him, but for some reason his memories were a jumbling mess. The last thing he remembered with any certainty was helping Sora and Mickey close the door, and then waking up in Castle Oblivion, and then…

' _I fought my Replica?'_

' _No, what Replica? I never had a Replica.'_

' _I left Castle Oblivion with Mickey, to help him while Sora slept for a year.'_

' _No, Sora never slept for a year, and he was never at Castle Oblivion, not until we woke up Ventus.'_

' _Wait, who's Ventus? I don't know anyone named Ventus.'_

' _Yes I do. He helped us beat Xemnas in the War.'_

' _What war?'_

' _The war that started when Sora–'_

He shook his head. His memories were contradicting each other. His head and heart both started aching. He sat up and looked around. He _appeared_ to be in Radiant Garden, except it still looked…no, scratch that, it looked even _more_ rundown than when it had been Hollow Bastion. He was somewhere in town, but the cityscape was so ruined that he wasn't sure exactly where he was. He stood up, and realized for the first time that he was wearing the Black Coat again. _'I haven't worn one of these since The Castle That Never Was,'_ he thought. On a hunch, he reached into one of his pockets and gripped something. His heart froze, and he glanced down as he pulled it out; a long black ribbon, one that bore a faint salty stench from sweat that had dried into it when it had been worn during battle. _'My blindfold…I burned this old thing almost a year ago. Why do I have it now?'_

"Master Riku?" asked a voice that made Riku's heart unfroze and start hammering triple-time. He whirled around and called Way to the Dawn to his hand, though for some reason it was Sora's Oathkeeper that answered the summons. "Master Riku, what are you doing out here all alone?" asked Xemnas, who faced him from across the square. Saïx stood behind him.

Riku didn't waste any time thinking or talking to the two. He raised his weapon and rushed forth to attack.

* * *

A/N: Are you horribly confused? Did this chapter give you a vague sense of mood whiplash? Are you in any way tempted to get off this messed-up ride before it gets worse? Well too bad, we're riding this crazy train all the way to Dysfunction Junction! In the next chapter, Sora and Co. begin hatching plans to rescue Roxas and Xion while Riku has a very strange day. _A Year Reclaimed, Chapter 8: Return of the Revenge of the Darkness Awakens!_ Coming soon to a theater near you! (Not.)

No, that's not really the title of the next chapter…


	8. Forwards and Backwards

**A Year Reclaimed.**

 **Chapter 8: Forwards and Backwards.**

 **(What? You didn't** _ **really**_ **think there wouldn't be** _ **consequences**_ **to breaking the timestream, did you?)**

* * *

 _Forward:_

On a world that looked like Hollow Bastion, but _more_ post-apocalyptic, in what had once been a green square but was now just a patch of black ash-coated dirt, a battle was underway. Seventeen-year-old Keyblade Master Riku, garbed in a Black Coat, charged at Xemnas with Keyblade in hand. For some reason, it was Oathkeeper instead of Way to the Dawn, but Riku was too focused on the danger at hand to worry about that. Saïx was also present, but he showed no sign of engaging just yet. Probably he was waiting for an opening so he could flank Riku while he was focused on Xemnas; a true example of wolf-pack tactics. Riku had no intention of letting anyone get the drop on him. True, the last time he had fought Saïx and Xemnas he had fought them separately and with Sora's help, but he had grown a lot stronger in the last year, and this time he was a full-fledged Keyblade Master to boot. And if things went horribly wrong, Sora or Mickey or possibly even Lea would show up in the nick of time to save the day because that was just the way they did things.

For some reason, Xemnas actually looked _surprised_ that Riku was attacking him, but he quickly schooled his expression and hit Riku with a triple-whammy of sorts. Firstly, he blocked Riku's assault with a weapon rather than an energy barrier, as was his custom; secondly, his weapon appeared to be some kind of _Keyblade_ , rather than an ethereal blade; thirdly, as their weapons ground and sparked against each other, Riku noticed for the first time that Xemnas's eyes were _blue_ instead of yellow. Altogether, this was enough to make Riku second-guess himself for just an instant, and in that instant his memories argued again.

' _Hold on, why am I fighting him, he's–'_

' _He's Xemnas! He was Xehanort's Nobody, and now he's one of Xehanort's vessels in his 'True' Organization XIII. Xehanort was a Keyblade wielder, and now that he's given Xemnas a heart of pure darkness_ of course _he has a Keyblade. As for the blue eyes…whatever, he's just messing with me again!'_

Riku grit his teeth and shouted, "Aeroga!" A sudden blast of wind sent Xemnas flying back; despite his distance, Saïx got caught in the gust as well, and was knocked out of the square. Riku pursued Xemnas, slashing at him with Oathkeeper repeatedly. Xemnas grunted as the wind was knocked out of him, and one of Riku's slashes hit deeply enough to draw blood.

Xemnas slammed his Keyblade into the ground and shouted, "Quake!" From where he had struck, a wave of earth surged up and rolled towards Riku, who naturally vaulted over the attack. But Xemnas seemed to have been expecting this, because he jumped after Riku and roared, "Meteor Crash!" striking Riku with a blow that was augmented by a slew of magically conjured meteors.

Riku quickly recovered his balance, as well as his health with a Cura, but Xemnas stepped inside of Riku's guard and laid into him with a barrage of strikes that, while not very fast, were so heavy that Riku was too stunned or winded to evade the next one. Finally, Xemnas made the mistake of swinging half a second to slow, give Riku just barely enough time to draw a breath and incant, "Reflega!" A magical sphere of hard-light hexagons sprung up to bounce back Xemnas's swing and bombard him with a barrage of small magical bolts, making him stagger back and opening him up to a counterattack, which Riku eagerly provided by rushing forward and launching into a spinning attack. To his surprise, however, Xemnas slid to the side, moving so fast that his form seemed to blur, and then retaliated with an equally swift charge that sent Riku flying backwards.

Riku rolled back onto his feet the instant he hit the ground and shifted into his signature ready-stance. As he did so Oathkeeper's token, a miniature of Kairi's old good luck charm, caught his attention and he once again found himself wondering why–

 _Darkness whirled around as Riku held onto Kairi's lifeless form. He glared up at the armored figure who so resembled Sora, who gripped a strange gear-and-chain themed Keyblade in one hand and a sparkling sphere of pure light–Kairi's heart–in the other. "Oh, so you want it back?" asked the dark Keyblade wielder; his voice sounded like Sora's too, but deeper and with a malicious edge that Sora would never use, not even against his most hated foe. "Poor, useless, Riku. He wanted so badly to protect his friends, but he lost_ both _of them! What a joke! You're so pathetic, I can't believe the Master ever wanted_ you _for a host. You're not even a_ real _Keyblade wielder!"_

" _SHUT UP!" Riku screamed, quickly standing up and dropping Kairi, his hand catching on the seashell Wayfinder charm that had been clipped to her belt; it tore free and his hand tightened around it instinctively, as if it was his only lifeline. His other hand dropped to his side and yanked Kingdom Key from its sheath–even though the Keyblade permitted him to wield it, it never answered his summons, and it always felt too heavy in his hands, but he kept it because it was all he had left of his best friend. "You want a_ real _Keyblade wielder?" Riku growled, "I'll show you a REAL Keyblade wielder!"_

 _He slammed the butt of Kingdom Key into Kairi's Wayfinder, and in a brilliant flash they were both replaced by Oathkeeper. Unlike Kingdom Key, Oathkeeper felt light as a feather and seemed to hum with energy in Riku's hand. Intuitively, he knew that he finally had a Keyblade of his own instead of a glorified keepsake. "For Sora, for Kairi, and for everyone else you've taken from me…this ends here, Vanitas!" Riku vowed as he pulled a long black ribbon out of his pocket and used it to tie his long silver mane back into a high-seated ponytail._

 _Vanitas snorted, "I doubt it…but maybe you're not a complete waste of space after all, eh, Riku? SHOW ME WHAT YOU'VE GOT!" he howled gleefully as he made Kairi's heart disappear in a swirl of darkness and rushed Riku with a two-handed grip on his Void Gear._

Riku snapped out of the memory and felt another pounding headache as he struggled to remember the series of events that had brought him to this bewildering alternate present, as well as a stabbing pain in his heart as it insisted that none of that had ever happened. Kairi had only lost her heart once, and Sora had saved it. That was over two years ago, and he didn't know anyone named Vanitas…did he?

Riku dropped Oathkeeper and fell to his knees, clutching his head and chest in pain. Immediately Xemnas and Saïx flanked him…and helped him back up? Riku's confusion multiplied as they each slung one of his arms over their shoulders and started marching him down the road. "You're in no condition to spar right now, Riku" Xemnas admonished in what sounded an awful lot like a concerned tone. For the first time Riku noticed that, although it was unquestionably Xemnas's voice, it was also a lot more expressive than he remembered. Rather than being either completely monotone or over-the-top grandstanding, he actually _sounded_ like a normal person.

"And even with our coats on it's not safe to be out in the open like this," added Saïx, whose voice Riku realized was also less monotone, and not quite as deep as he remembered either. He noticed that Saïx's eyes were green instead of yellow, further compounding his confusion.

' _They're names are Terra and Isa. I can trust them,'_ Riku's heart told him.

' _No, they're Xehanort's vessels. They're the enemy,'_ his mind argued.

His headache intensified, and he blacked out.

* * *

 _Backward:_

Two years ago, Riku awakened. "Where am I?" he gasped. He appeared to be floating in some gray void.

"Stay asleep," ordered a disembodied voice. A familiar disembodied voice…

"Who's there!?" Riku asked, flipping himself into an upright position, though he still seemed to be floating.

"You should remain asleep. Here, between light and dark," said the voice.

"Between…what?" asked Riku, totally confused. He looked around for some clue to his whereabouts, but everything was the same neutral shade of gray as far as his eyes could see. Then he gasped as a thought struck him. "The king! Where's the king!? Together we closed the door to darkness. After that––"

"You came drifting here, by yourself," the voice filled in. "You did not have the strength to overcome the darkness. Or…maybe you were close to it."

"Hmph. As if I'm some kind of demon," Riku said angrily.

The voice sounded faintly amused when next it spoke, "Turn from the light. Shut your eyes. Here, blanketed by the darkness, sleep is safety. Sleep is eternal. But…"

There was a blinding flash of light, and when it faded Riku found himself facing a card. "What's this?"

"It is a door to the truth. Take it and your sleep ends, as you take the first step toward the truth. But know this: the truth will bring you pain. Will you still go?" asked the voice. "There is no return to the security of sleep."

Riku closed his eyes and thought it over for a moment. It seemed like a sweet deal, all things considered. Had he not suffered enough, having lost his home and almost losing his friends and free will to a maniacal body-snatching Heartless Supreme? But no…no, Riku decided he didn't deserve to rest. Not yet. After everything he had done, there was a lot he had to reckon for before he could even think about rest. So he opened his eyes and grabbed the card. He spoke up and gave the gray void around him a truly Riku-y reply. "This seemed like a boring place to take a nap anyway."

The voice definitely sounded a bit amused, and possibly a bit impressed as well, when it said, "That was very well said, Riku."

Another searing light flared from the card, and when Riku could see again he was standing in a sterile white room. There were a few pillars and some engravings on the walls and ceiling, some kind of design on the floor under his feet, but the only real feature here was very short flight of stairs and a door right in front of him. He glanced back down at the card in his hand. "A door to the truth, huh?"

* * *

Sometime later, not long after his clash with Vexen, Riku found himself in another of the rooms between floors. He paused there for a moment, looking around, not sure what he was waiting for. This room was exactly like all the other 'in-between' rooms he had passed through so far. Nothing stood out to him, but still, he couldn't help but feel like he was missing something…or someone? Yes, he had the strangest feeling that he was supposed to meet someone here. But there was clearly no one around, so after another moment he shook his head and continued on to the next floor. The sooner he was out of this weird castle, the better.

* * *

In the next in-between room, Ansem reappeared once again to goad and taunt Riku some more. Nothing specific, just more generic rhetoric about how his eagerness to fight the darkness was really a reflection of his fear of it. Riku snapped and tried to attack him again, but it proved just as ineffectual as last time. Then he disappeared, leaving Riku with nothing but an even greater determination to resist the darkness within him as he proceeded to the next floor.

* * *

Riku emerged into the next in-between room, which he hoped was the last seeing as he had just used his last card. To his great surprise, he found himself facing another black-coat-wearing stranger: a blonde man with a goatee and pierced ears. He sat at a card table playing what appeared to be Klondike solitaire. He looked up as Riku entered the room and smiled. "Ah, so here's the naughty young gent who's been skulking about," he said. "I'm sure you've had fun having your run of the place while Vexen and the others were out and about, dealing with your mate."

"My _mate_?" Riku asked.

"Pardon, I meant your good chum. You know, the Keyblade master," he clarified.

"Sora?! Where is he!?" Riku demanded, summoning Soul Eater.

"Tut-tut, such impertinence," he reprimanded. "We could at least be formally introduced before you go on making threats and demands. I am the Organization's No. X: Luxord, the Gambler of Fate. You are Riku, of course, but the question is are you the genuine article, or the wayward facsimile? And which of you was it that trounced poor old Saïx?"

"Huh?" asked Riku, hopelessly confused.

"It seems we both have questions and answers for the other, and neither of us willing to divulge," noted Luxord. "What say you to a wager, then? A friendly little skirmish; winner gets three questions from the loser and a promise for honest answers."

Riku thought it over. "You'll answer _any_ question I ask? Even if I ask for the quickest way out of here?"

"You have my solemn and binding word as a gentleman of fickle fortune," Luxord vowed.

"Alright, you're on," Riku agreed, "What are the rules for this duel?"

"If you can land a hit on my face within five minutes, you win," Luxord replied with a grin.

* * *

 _Forward:_

"He's coming around!" Riku heard someone, a voice he recognized but was at once both familiar and not very familiar with, exclaim as he returned to consciousness. Riku sat up slowly, gratefully surprised that his headache was gone, for now, though there was still a dull throbbing in his chest. It was weak enough to ignore, for the most part, but its presence still worried him. He opened his eyes and looked around, and he vaguely recognized the room he was in as one from the castle in Hollow Bastion. As a matter of fact, it used to be _his_ room, back when…

' _Back when I was Maleficent's lackey,'_ he remembered bitterly. Then, with difficulty, he let go of that bitterness. _'It was a terrible mistake, but that's all long in the past. I've grown up too much since then to keep beating myself up for the actions of an idiot boy.'_

His introspection was cut off when he noticed he wasn't alone. Leaning against the wall next to the door, his arms crossed and his eyes closed, was Xemnas. A dark-haired girl was sticking her head out of the door shouting that he was awake. Her name drifted up in his mind. _'Yuffie. She works with Leon on the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee.'_

Before Riku could ask anyone anything, a bunch of people rushed into the room, which soon felt cramped. To his shock, the other kids from back home were there; Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka. Saïx came in, followed by Roxas, both of whom were wearing the Black Coat, and they were followed by…Lexaeus and Zexion?

' _No, they came back as Aeleus and Ienzo,'_ Riku remembered, _'Lea introduced me to them after Yen Sid named me a Master.'_ He figured that much was reliable, since his head didn't start hurting, though for some reason in his memory Lea was replaced by Saïx, who was then replaced by Lea again, and he felt the pressure in his head increase so he just stopped thinking about it.

What appeared to be a Heartless wearing blue robes and a pointy hat with a mouth-like zipper on it entered, though the fact that it wasn't attacking anyone or being attacked by anyone made him conclude that it was one of the rare 'friendly' Heartless, like the White Mushrooms. It was followed by a girl in a sleeveless blue zip-up tracksuit with long silver hair pulled tightly back in a ponytail; she had a single red eye, the other eye being covered by an eyepatch. They were the last two to enter the room, but Riku could see and hear a few more milling about outside.

"Alright, alright, you can all see that the boss is fine," said Yuffie, "I didn't mean for everyone to come in all at once. Come on, clear out guys, give him some breathing room."

Most of the crowd filtered out, grumbling about Yuffie making up her mind, but she and Saïx and Roxas and Xemnas all stayed behind. "So," said Yuffie, leaning against the edge of Riku's nightstand, "Just what happened up topside? All Isa would say is that you and Terra were sparring, and then you passed out. Is there anything we need to tell the Queen?"

Riku thought carefully before replying, "No. There's nothing the Queen needs to worry about. I just got a headache, that's all." Now how to ask all the questions he had?

Before he could ask anything, Xemnas spoke up, opening his eyes to reveal those startling and unexpected blues again. "Why were you on the surface, out in the open? You know the Black Coat will do little to conceal you if the _Unversed_ find you. Why take such a risk, Master?"

Riku had to check the impulse to shot him a dirty glare, and tried to answer the question. "I…I just needed some fresh air," he replied, and to his surprise he found that he was telling the truth. A very recent memory rose up; he had been pacing about this very room, unable to sleep, and had finally pulled on his Coat and went outside.

"Couldn't sleep?" Roxas guessed. There was something slightly off in his voice, but Riku couldn't begin to guess what it was. His previous interactions with his best friend's Nobody had been limited and brief, so he wasn't overly familiar with him in the first place, so it could just be that Roxas didn't sound exactly the way he remembered. Then again, he wasn't sure what he _did_ remember anymore; everything was so confused, and he realized that if he wanted answers he would probably just have to ask and trust that these people would give him the truth. No matter what was going on, he had no intention to trust Xemnas or Saïx. The last time he had seen Roxas they had, unfortunately, been enemies, so he didn't know how much he could trust him either. Yuffie, at least, he knew was a good person, but he didn't know her very well, so he wasn't sure how reliable she was. Leon seemed to trust her, and he seemed like a capable and dependable person, though much of what he knew about the Gunblade wielder was from secondhand stories through Sora. It would be great if Sora and Kairi were around, but that didn't seem to be the case, and something told Riku it would be a bad idea to ask where they were. That strange evil Sora-lookalike he had seen in that memory–Vanitas?–had apparently taken Kairi's heart some time ago, and his words implied that something had happened to Sora as well. Unless…was that why Vanitas looked so much like Sora? Was he some creature of Darkness that had _possessed_ Sora? Deep down, Riku's gut told him that he had hit upon the truth, but it was still confusing. The thought that Sora had been possessed made the pressure in his head subside, somewhat, but made his heart clench in pain, and not just for the obvious reason.

"I give up," Riku groaned, leaning forward and burying his head in his hands. "I have to tell you guys something…I have no idea what's going on here," he said. He lifted his head to see that they were all giving him weird looks, so he clarified, "I…I can't seem to remember what's going on. I know where I am, but not why. I woke up outside in my old Black Coat, with no memory of how I got there or why this world looks like it got torn up all over again. The next thing I know, Xemnas and Saïx show up, so I attacked, but then I had this weird memory of some guy that looks like Sora taking Kairi's heart, and that's when I blacked out."

Xemnas and Saïx both looked stricken, Yuffie had a hand over her mouth and her eyes were as wide as saucers, and Roxas just looked more and more confused. Riku continued, "I don't know why Xemnas and Saïx are here, or where Xemnas got a Keyblade from, or why he keeps calling me 'Master'. I don't know what's going on with that 'Vanitas' guy I saw in my memory, and every time I _try_ to remember, my head and my heart both start hurting, like they're both fighting each other. Hell, I don't know why _you're_ here either, Roxas," he added, pointing at him, "Last I knew you had rejoined with Sora."

"Roxas?" Roxas repeated with a laugh, "What's that about, Riku? My name is Ventus, remember?"

* * *

 _Backward:_

This was easily the most frustrating fight Riku had ever had. For starters, Luxord kept screwing with his sense of time; either Riku was way too slow, as if the air around him had turned to molasses, or Luxord was way too fast, zipping around the room like a video on fast-forward. For another thing, every few seconds Luxord would turn himself into a card and hide himself in a bunch of other cards that flew around the room. Every so often, he would also transform _Riku_ into a card, or a giant die, and while Riku was relieved to find that he _could_ still move about and fight back in these forms, he was much weaker than in his normal form.

Altogether, he guessed that about three of his five minutes had passed, and while he had gotten a few lucky hits on Luxord none of them had cleanly connected with his smug face. Every time Soul Eater got anywhere near its mark, Luxord would grin and either cast a spell, after which either Riku would slow down to a crawl and Luxord would casually sidestep him or Luxord himself would quickly flicker out of the way and Riku would eat floor, or else Luxord would just deflect the blow with a flurry of his cards. Twice so far, Luxord had gathered all of his cards together and turned them into one giant card, which he used to lay a devastating slash across Riku's back and left side, respectively.

Finally, Riku gave an angry roar and Darkness engulfed him, transforming into a suit of armor. He felt his injuries heal as power flowed into him. "Aw, the young man finally plays his trump card!" Luxord exclaimed, seeming to be more excited than dismayed at the turn of events, and Riku realized he had been trying to goad him into this, "Now it's high time _I_ upped the ante as well!"

Luxord raised a hand and conjured four large, glowing dice. He snapped his hand down and called out, "Lethal Highroller!" as the dice launched themselves like missiles at Riku. At the same time, he snapped his fingers and called out, "Paradox Flush!" and threw out his entire deck of cards, which formed a ring on the floor around Riku. The cards flashed ominously while the dice started circling around him. "Choose your fate, lad. Death from above, or below," said Luxord.

"Who said _I_ was going to die in this gamble; your life's on the line too, buddy," Riku retorted.

"Your arrogance will raise the stakes higher than you can call, boy," Luxord countered.

"Enough banter!" Riku shouted, his voice doubled with Ansem's, as he launched himself at Luxord. Immediately, bolts of energy blasted out of the cards and chased after him, along with the dice, but Riku was fast enough to outstrip them easily. But then Luxord threw his hand up and shouted, "Stop!"

Riku was frozen in maid-air, only for a few seconds but long enough for the projectiles to catch up to him; the spell wore off an instant before four giant dice and fifty-two balls of light all slammed into him at the same time, engulfing him in a massive explosion. "Alas, such a poor hand you were dealt, and drew me as your enemy," said Luxord, almost sadly. He turned his back on the smoldering crater and walked away.

" _You weak, pathetic boy! Are you really just going to let go? Lay down and die like a dog?"_ Ansem's voice taunted him.

" _Shut up. You weren't any help, either…Darkness doesn't make you stronger, it just makes you full of yourself. I'm through with it, once and for all,"_ Riku vowed, _"Maybe I really should have stayed asleep."_

" _Don't give up, Riku!"_ exclaimed a new voice, that of the King, _"I'm here for you, and your friends are all waiting for you to come home. If not for yourself, at least stand up for them!"_

" _Your Majesty…you're right. Giving up is even worse than giving in…even if I have to struggle with my Darkness for the rest of my life, at least I can keep standing up and fighting back!"_

Riku's eyes snapped open and he gasped. He sat up and coughed in the middle of the smoking crater Luxord had left him in, and he looked around. "Your Majesty?" he asked the empty room.

Another see-through image of Mickey appeared before him and spoke, "Sorry, Riku, I'm not there yet…but I'll be there soon! Just you keep fighting on, and keep your faith in the power of the Light," he advised, placing a hand over his heart.

"Alright…I will," Riku promised. The Mickey image disappeared, and Riku approached the door before remembering, "Damn, I'm out of World Cards!"

A flash of light caught his eye, and he glanced down to see a new card in front of the door with a note pinned to it. First he read the note: _Cheaters never prosper. If you wish to become truly formidable, you must never rely on strength that isn't yours and yours alone. When next we meet we shall play another game, one with higher stakes, and I will not be so forgiving if you cheat again. In the meantime, don't forget that you owe me three answers, which I will collect from you in due time. Until then, I've left you a gift to help you on your way, as you seemed in dire need of a handicap. Cordially, Luxord._

Next, he examined the card, and his eyes widened.

It was home.

* * *

Riku gave a contented sigh as the wind played through his hair. He slid down off the Paopu Tree and stretched. "Man…who knew I'd miss the island winds so much?" He chuckled at his own nostalgia, "All that talk about not being able to wait to leave…am I lame or what?"

"You certainly have your moments," snarked a voice from behind him. A voice that rang so sweetly in his ears that it made tears well up in his eyes even as his heart started thumping wildly.

He whirled around and gasped, "Kairi?!"

There she was, just as she remembered her…and then his mood plummeted when he remembered that this was all drawn from his memories. She wasn't _really_ here, she was just a memory of Kairi. Oh well, she was still Kairi either way, so he was beyond happy to see her. Just because he could, he ran forward and pulled her into a crushing hug. "I've missed you so much, Kairi," he said, letting his tears fall without reservation. When Kairi, or at least the memory of her, returned the hug, he almost broke down right then and there.

Then the moment was interrupted by whistles and catcalls.

"Hey, how 'bout you two get a room, ya?"

"Oh man, Sora would be so cheesed if he saw this."

"Lay off, you guys. It's sweet!"

Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie, in order of speaker, approached them on the bridge. Kairi quickly pulled away from Riku and kicked a rock at Wakka, a livid blush painted across her face.

"Tidus…Selphie…Wakka…" Riku murmured in awe. "Wow…it's so great to see you guys!" he shouted, running forward and pulling all three of them into a hug at once.

"Whoa! Hello! Okay, this is happening, Riku is hugging us…why is Riku hugging us?" asked a very flummoxed Tidus. Wakka looked similarly uncomfortable and Selphie…she looked like she might just faint.

"Like I said, it's great to see you all again," said Riku, laughing as he let them all go and stepped back, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, you been cryin', man?" asked Wakka.

"He _has_ been gone for a while," said Selphie, still blushing, "I guess he really- _really_ missed us."

Kairi stepped up and slugged him in the shoulder. "He's been gone too long! I was worried sick about you guys. Where's Sora? Bet he's off taking a nap somewhere, huh?"

"Sora? I haven't seen him since we closed the Door to Darkness. I thought he would have come straight home," said Riku.

"Aw, you know Sora. He runs on his own clock," commented Tidus, "That dork's never on time for anything important."

"Well, whatever then. If he misses the party, it's his fault," said Selphie, "Now let's get going before _we_ miss it!"

"Huh? What party?" asked Riku.

Everyone stared at him like he had just said the funniest thing ever. "Your 'Welcome Home' party, duh!" said Kairi, wrapping both arms around his own and dragging him towards the bridge. "Everyone saw that weird light drop you off here, so your dad and my dad are planning the biggest party the island's ever seen, and you're the guest of honor, Riku!" When Riku showed hesitation, Kairi pouted and hugged his arm tighter, "Don't worry, if Sora doesn't make it in time we'll throw another party for him when he does. C'mon, Riku. Pwetty pwease?"

"Yeah, come on Riku," said Tidus, "Don't let Kairi down."

"Ya, you're all she's been talkin' 'bout since you disappeared," added Wakka.

"Do it for her if not for yourself," said Selphie.

"Well…yeah, sure, why not?" said Riku. He followed the others across the bridge, Kairi still glued to his side and beaming to rival the tropical sun overhead. At some point between the Paopu Tree and the rowboats they would take them back to the main island, Riku forgot that he was just in a memory-world, and came to believe that he had truly, finally come home.

* * *

"It's incredibly kind, what you've done for that luckless lad," Luxord commented to Vexen. The two of them stalked down a hallway, eyes peeled for any signs of movement where there shouldn't be.

"Bah, kindness had nothing to do with it," countered the Organization's resident Mad Scientist with a dismissive hand wave, "He's simply less likely to try to escape his prison if it's an enjoyable one. Especially after we told Naminé that we would destroy him if she didn't make him forget that was in an illusory construct."

"But why _are_ we keeping him alive? He's not a Keyblade wielder, so what use has the Organization for him?" asked Luxord.

"Not that you need to know, _No. X_ , but we're keeping him on the Superior's orders," said Vexen, "While he is not currently a Keyblade wielder, he still has the potential to become one again, yes. And there is a fragment of the Superior's Heartless counterpart embedded in the boy's heart. That, too, makes him an intriguing specimen. But we need to keep him out of the way until we've dealt with his rogue Replica."

"You mean _this_ Replica?" asked a new voice from behind them.

* * *

 _Forward:_

"So you're saying you don't remember _anything_ from the last two years?" asked Saïx/Isa, disbelief evident in his voice.

"No…I remember lots of things from the last two years, but a lot of it is contradictory," said Riku. He and Saïx/Isa, Xemnas/Terra, and Roxas/Ventus had left his room and were now walking through the castle. Looking out the windows along the way had confirmed that yes, the entire castle was submerged underground for some reason. "And a lot of what I remember…it's stuff I didn't remember before I woke up outside earlier. That's why I attacked Xem…Terra, I mean. I only remember him as Xehanort's Nobody, the leader of the old Organization XIII. I only remember him as an enemy. Why is he called 'Terra' now, and why are his eyes blue?"

The Roxas-lookalike who called himself Ventus, or Ven for short, replied, "Because he really _is_ Terra. See, thirteen years ago me and Terra were training under Master Eraqus, but Xehanort tricked him into using the power of darkness, and after the darkness had corrupted Terra enough Xehanort put _his_ heart in Terra's body. I went to sleep after that, but I've been told that Xehanort went on to become one of this guy Ansem's apprentices–"

"And then stole Ansem's name, and then when he gave up his own heart his Heartless kept calling itself Ansem and his Nobody renamed itself Xemnas," Riku finished, thinking carefully, "Which means…Xemnas was actually _Terra's_ body and…Xehanort's mind?"

"That's right," confirmed Xemnas-who-was-actually-Terra. "After you and Ven drove Xehanort's heart of Darkness out of me, your friend Naminé helped me remember who I was supposed to be, and you helped me suppress the Darkness that was left in my own heart."

"Suppress it?" asked Riku, frowning. "Why didn't I teach you to control it instead?"

That stopped the others cold in their tracks. Ven, in particular, stared at Riku as if he had grown a second head. "Control it? What, the way Xehanort and Vanitas 'control' it? Are you _insane_?" he nearly shouted.

Riku's frown deepened and he shook his head. "No…I don't know about this Vanitas person, but the way I control Darkness is nothing like Xehanort…in fact, I'm not sure he _does_ control the Darkness at all, really. Whatever noble intentions he may claim, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that was all just him rationalizing the Darkness acting out its destructive impulses through him. Mickey explained to me that he wanted to reforge the most powerful weapon in history, so it seems to me that all he ever really wanted was to do exactly what the Heartless were doing, but on a bigger scale."

"You…you claim that you can actually _use_ the Darkness…without succumbing to it?" asked Terra.

"No way!" said Ven, actually shouting now, "All this time, he's been telling you that the only way to control your Darkness is to keep it locked up tight, just like Master Eraqus taught us. He can't just pull a one-eighty now!"

"Calm down, Ventus," said Isa, planting a hand on the boy's shoulder. He turned to Riku and said, "Please, explain to us what you mean."

"What I mean is that everything is made up of Light and Darkness," said Riku. "You can't have one without the other, so to master one you _have_ to master both. Otherwise you'll be unbalanced. I _tried_ to turn my back on Darkness for good, but all I did was wind up fighting _myself_ just as hard as I fought my enemies. Once I learned to embrace _my_ Darkness and use it as a tool to compliment my Light, only then did I realize my true power." He looked Terra in the eyes and said fiercely, "If I can learn to do it, anyone can learn to do it. But it takes dedication and willpower, clarity of thought, and knowing when to restraint yourself and when to give everything you have. If Xehanort had ever _truly_ mastered his Darkness, he wouldn't have turned against the Light the way he did. He was never really a Master of Darkness at all. Just another pawn."

Terra looked at him in awe, and even Ven seemed speechless. Isa smiled and said, "You…are not the Riku we knew yesterday."

"Is that a good thing?" asked Riku.

"I think so, actually," said Isa, "The old Riku…he was strong, and determined, and ever since Vanitas's reawakening he's the one who's been holding us all together. But he was also a tortured soul who carried the weight of the world in guilt and regrets. He fought on against the Darkness, not out of hope that we could win, but out of sheer bitter cussed stubbornness. You, on the other hand…you're more self-assured, at least."

"Heh. Yeah, and you wouldn't believe all the crap I had to go through to get that way, either," said Riku with a smirk.

"He's smirking!" gasped Ven. "I've never seen Riku smirk like that! It looks totally _awesome_."

"Guys!" said Yuffie, running up to them from behind. "The Queen wants to talk to you. And she's got a guest; someone I've never seen before!"

" _What?_ " asked Terra, Isa, and Ven all at once. Terra continued, "How can you not know him? How did he get in the book if not with our blessing?"

"I know, I'm just saying _I've_ never seen him before. He said he came to speak with Riku," said Yuffie.

"On the same day that Riku has this weird case of double-identity?" asked Ven, "If it's a coincidence, I'll eat my Glider."

"Who is he?" asked Riku.

"Uh…let's see…oh, yeah! He said he's 'someone who has a lot of dreams'," said Yuffie.

Riku frowned thoughtfully, wondering what that was supposed to mean. Then he remembered, and his eyes widened. Then he laughed, "Well, if anyone has _all_ the answers, it probably would be him."

Meanwhile Yuffie's eyes bulged. "Did Riku just _laugh_?!"

* * *

 _Backward:_

Riku had been home for about a month, and today he was just lounging on his couch watching TV. It was one of his favorite programs, a fight show called 'Dissidia'. Today's battle was between two of his favorite characters; Laguna and Kain. He just relaxed, letting his brain gel while Kairi helped his mom make dinner; she ate with them almost every night now, and some nights after dinner they went down to the beach and watched the sky together, both of them watching for any sign of Sora's return. Part of him was still worried about his best friend's prolonged absence, but he wasn't too worried. Last he had seen of him he was with Donald and Goofy, and they had proved to be loyal and dependable friends–something he couldn't always say about himself, unfortunately–and at any rate, after thrashing Ansem he doubted there was any danger that Sora couldn't handle. He was probably just busy goofing off, being the Universe's biggest tourist.

Riku's leisurely afternoon was inexplicably, unexpectedly, and downright _bizarrely_ interrupted when something blasted his front door off the hinges and _Riku_ walked in. Yes, Riku watched with uncomprehending eyes as Riku kicked in his own front door, walked into the living room and glared down at him. Riku was being glared at by himself, which was quite strange considering that there were no mirrors in the room, and he was certain his own face wasn't glaring so much as agape with shock. "Huh-Who? Wuh-What?" Couch-Riku stammered.

"Don't you know that lazing about and slacking off is Sora's bit?" asked Standing-Riku. Kairi and Riku's Mom ran in from the kitchen and stared in shock at the doppelganger.

"R-Riku, what's going on?!" asked Kairi.

At the sight of Kairi and his mom, the other Riku's glare softened. Then he shook his head. He held out his hand, and amidst a swirl of light and darkness a weapon appeared in his hand. It looked like Soul Eater, but it had a handle-guard made up of another demon wing and an angel wing, and another little angel wing jutting out backwards from the tip, and a little token hanging from the end that kind of looked like a keychain. Riku-1's jaw dropped as he realized that Riku-2 was wielding a Keyblade. "Kairi…Mom…" Riku-2 whispered as the point of his Keyblade started glowing with light. "I've missed you both…but none of this is real…this is all just a memory!" The light from the Keyblade grew, both in brightness and in size, until it consumed everything. Riku-1 heard a sound like glass shattering, and then the light extinguished abruptly.

Riku blinked the spots out of his eyes, and waited for them to readjust. After he had waited for a while, he abruptly realized that they already had and he just happened to be standing in a glaringly-sterile white room. It looked familiar…and then his memories came rushing back. "Holy Light!" he swore, "I was…he tricked me! Luxord, that bastard, he tricked me…how long was I in there?!" he asked himself hysterically, trying to count on his hands the days that had passed in the memory-world. It was all pretty fuzzy now, but he was certain it had been at least twenty.

"Heya, Riku. Gee, where'd you come from all of a sudden?" asked a familiar voice.

Riku whirled around and found himself face to face with none other than–

"Your Majesty!" he exclaimed.

* * *

Within the artificial Twilight Town, Riku walked through the woods, towards an old mansion where the mysterious DiZ said a girl named Naminé could be found who would explain everything to him. DiZ had explained to him that he had only been in the Destiny Islands memory-world for a few hours; the sense of days passing was just Luxord screwing with him. But though those joyful, leisurely days had passed by only in his head, they had still caused the Darkness in him to subside greatly.

He could barely hear Ansem's voice in his head now, and when he did he resolutely ignored it. He didn't even think about using the Dark Mode to help him fend off the Heartless on this floor, and before moving on to this floor Mickey had given him a deck full of Magic Cards, and a piece of paper with a list of Magic Sleights, though he claimed that he had promised not to tell Riku where they had come from. Riku didn't mind too much, and in fact he had even gone so far as to remove _all_ the Soul Eater cards from his deck.

Though the King was no longer by his side physically, he could still feel his presence in the Mickey Cards that had appeared in his deck. And that feeling, the feeling that he was finally no longer alone, did far more than any amount of resolve to help him stave off the temptation to draw strength from the Darkness again. Once again, Riku vowed that his days of relying on Darkness were long behind him. Light and friendship were the powers Sora had used to beat the Ansem out of him, after all, so _obviously_ the Light was stronger anyways.

Riku emerged from the woods and approached the gates to the mansion, but as he did so a Corridor appeared and Vexen emerged. "I don't know how…I don't _care_ how…this asininity ends _now_ ," the Chilly Academic vowed icily. Frozen Pride materialized in his hands and he continued, "I don't even care what the Superior intends for you! I'll just tell him that you and that damn Replica destroyed each other! And I don't care which one _you_ are; I'm going to kill you, and then the other, _and then I'm getting back to my sorely neglected research!_ " Vexen roared before slinging a wave of icicles at him.

Riku broke into a run, circling around Vexen while spamming Firaga Sleights. Then he cast Bind, followed by Raging Storm. Then, finally, he used a Sleight made up of three Mickey Cards. Mickey himself appeared and bombarded Vexen with several pillars of Light.

By the time Bind wore off, Vexen collapsed. Wisps of Darkness leaked from his injuries, but he wasn't fading outright quite yet. Still, Riku could sense that the fight was out of him. "Get up, and get out of here. Consider yourself lucky to have survived."

"Whuh…what is this? Mercy for an enemy?" asked Vexen, who seemed confused.

"It's me proving that I'm better than you," said Riku, "I don't want to kill anyone if I don't have to. So just get lost, and hope that our paths never cross again."

"I see," said Vexen as he struggled to stand up and called a Corridor of Darkness around himself. "I shall…never forget…" he said, before his face hardened into a hateful sneer and he added, "This _insult_ , that is!" Then, before Riku could react, Vexen fell back into the Corridor, which disappeared after him.

"Well, _that's_ going to come back to bite me someday," Riku muttered. Then he shrugged. "Oh well, no one ever said being a good guy was easy." With that, he continued on towards the mansion.

As DiZ had instructed, he went straight up to the second floor in the mansion and headed for a room on the left side. When he entered the room, his first thought was that he was back in one of Castle Oblivion's in-between rooms. Then he noticed the open window that showed that he was still in Twilight Town. It was just that this room also happened to be sterile white, though it appeared someone was working on changing that.

A girl was sitting at a desk in front of the window, her back to Riku, and she was drawing. She must have just finished her drawing, because she stood up and pinned it to the wall next to her, adding it to a cluster of other pictures. They were all drawn in crayon, and pretty poorly at that, but Riku recognized several scenes from Twilight Town as well as Hollow Bastion and even Destiny Islands. One picture, the one closest to the girl which he figured must be the first one she had drawn, showed several people. There was a figure wearing white with a yellow blob around its head that Riku guessed was the girl herself, along with two figures dressed all in black, one with short black hair and the other with spiky blonde hair, and a fourth figure that Riku recognized instantly by the iconic brown spikes on its head: Sora. If the thing in Sora's hand was supposed to be his Keyblade, than the two figures in black had Keyblades as well, though the spiky blonde was holding _two_ , one black and the other white.

"Naminé?" Riku asked softly. Naminé still flinched in her seat and whipped her head around with wide eyes. Then she exhaled and smiled at him. "Riku. You're here…please, come in and take a seat. I have a little story to tell you…"

* * *

"Wow," said Riku when Naminé was finished.

"Yeah," she agreed.

"So…how does Roxas–"

"No idea. He just pulled them out of nowhere after I unlocked his dormant abilities," said Naminé, who had traded her crayons for a pencil and was now sketching a picture of Roxas, Oathkeeper and Oblivion in hand, in stunning detail.

"How'd you do that?" asked Riku.

"Well, for starters…like I said, Roxas is Sora's Nobody," said Naminé, "Born when Sora released his own heart to free Kairi's. That's when I was born, too, since I'm Kairi's Nobody. But unlike most Nobodies, Roxas has a heart of his own, because Sora had _another_ heart inside of him even before he took in Kairi's. _That_ heart belonged to another Keyblade wielder named Ventus. Because Kairi reverted Sora's Heartless back into his true form so quickly after Roxas was born, Roxas didn't have access to Sora's memories, as a Nobody usually does. But even forgotten memories are never lost; memories are interconnected like the links of a chain, and those memories are forgotten when those chains are broken apart. But the individual links are still there. Basically, Roxas had Ventus's heart, and that heart's chain of memories was broken, and it also absorbed impressions of memories from Sora's heart over the last ten years. But all of those memories were still there, dormant, and the strongest memories were those that were connected to the Keyblade, because that was something Sora and Ventus had in common. When Roxas and I escaped, he was only seven days old and only had basic skill with the Keyblade, which was nowhere near enough to contend with the likes of Axel. Demyx, maybe, but only if he wasn't fighting seriously. To give him, and by extension the rest of us, a fighting chance, I reached into Roxas's heart and sought out…certain links from the chains of Ventus and Sora's memories. To minimize the risk that Roxas's personality–such that it was at the time–might be overwritten by Sora's or Ventus's, I only awakened the procedural memories that were linked to their combat abilities."

"Procedural memories?"

"That's right. Memories of how to perform certain tasks without recalling the exact circumstances under which you learned, which would be a form of episodic memory; there's a third type of memory, semantic, which deals with general non-procedural knowledge, like the difference between a table and a chair," Naminé explained.

"…okay…" said Riku, taking time to absorb the blonde Nobody's epic info dump. "So, in a way, Roxas was born from _two_ hearts, both of them Keyblade wielders? Could that be the source of his dual-wielding ability?"

Naminé paused in the middle of her drawing. She blinked. "I honestly hadn't thought about that…huh. Yes, you're probably right, Riku."

"How'd you find out about Ventus?" Riku asked next.

"Only recently, while I was…well, you see, an unavoidable consequence of using my powers over memory is that whenever I manipulate a link or chain of memory, those links or chains are copied into my own heart. Not forever; the memories I absorb are sort of like 'ghost' memories, and in time they fade away, leaving nothing behind. But while they're there, I can examine them in greater detail in my own dreams. After manipulating Roxas's chain, I absorbed so many ghost memories from him that I pretty much slept through the whole battle at Hollow Bastion just processing everything. I don't know the whole story, but I do know that the heart within Roxas belonged to a boy named Ventus, that he has links of Sora's memories threaded into his own chain, which means that their hearts were connected, and I'm pretty sure that Ventus was one of three Keyblade wielders who fought Xehanort–the man whose Heartless you know as Ansem–ten years ago."

"I see," said Riku, because he really wasn't sure what else _to_ say. After a few pensive moments, he broke the silence again, "So, this Organization was going to try to use you to turn Sora into their puppet, but you stopped that plan cold _and_ stole the Keyblade wielder they already had?" Naminé nodded tentatively. "Naminé…you are _amazing_ ," Riku said frankly.

Naminé's face lit up like a red Christmas light. "Th-thanks," she stammered. "Roxas, Kairi, Sora, and you…even though none of you knew I existed, you all were the closest thing I had to a family. Once I found out what Xemnas was all about, I couldn't let you guys become pawns in his plans. When you think about it, what other choice did I have?"

Riku shook his head. "Don't shorthand yourself like that. Believe me, doing nothing, just going with things the way they are…that's easy. Changing things, fighting back, doing the right thing no matter how dangerous; that takes guts, Naminé, and you did all of this on your own. And you can't even fight, like me and Sora can. You might just be the single bravest person I've ever met." He smiled at her sadly, "I wish I were half as brave as you. Maybe I wouldn't be so afraid of the Darkness." His sad smile turned into a bitter frown. "Yeah, I get it now. I said I wasn't afraid of the Darkness…but I was. I was so afraid of it that I ran head first into it just to prove myself wrong. I stared into the Darkness…and I blinked." Riku's expression now became puzzled, and he said, "Hey, Naminé…how am I like family to you? If you're Kairi's Nobody, and Roxas is basically your twin brother, and Sora's the one who created you both…where do I fit in there?"

Naminé actually laughed at his question. "Riku…c'mon, really? If it weren't for you, _none_ of the events leading up to mine and Roxas's birth would have ever happened."

"Really?" asked Riku. He thought it over, and his eyes widened with epiphany. He had brought the Darkness to Destiny Islands, which was how Kairi's heart had wound up in Sora's, and he had been the one to reveal to Sora where Kairi's heart was and what he would have to do to free her…which, seeing as Sora was Sora, he did without hesitation. It was true, he _was_ ultimately responsible for Kairi's and Sora's (plus this Ventus guy, apparently) hearts all being released from Sora, creating Roxas and Naminé. "Wow…huh…I…I guess that's one good thing that came out of this whole crazy mess."

Naminé fidgeted a bit, looking like she was thinking intensely, and then on impulse she gave him an awkward sideways glomp. "Thank you, Riku…even if you regret what you've done, I owe you and Sora everything that I am…so thanks," she repeated as she withdrew, blushing hotly. "I…wish there was something I could do for you."

"There is," said DiZ as he strode into the room. Naminé squeaked and jumped over Riku, seeming to try to hide behind him.

Riku glared at the bandage-faced man. "Hey man, ever hear of knocking? Not cool."

"I do so apologize for intruding on your 'moment', but despite appearances we are _still_ in the Organization's territory, and it is only a matter of time before they regroup and come back here in force. We must move decisively and without hesitation if we are to remain a step ahead of them. Naminé, have you explained Riku's choice to him?"

"Ah, right," said Naminé, standing up. "Listen, Riku…if you want, that is, if you wouldn't mind my intruding…I can help you overcome the Darkness once and for all. No matter how strong your resolve, there is still Darkness in your heart, and that Darkness will never fully go away, and within that Darkness lurks the phantom of Ansem. You're determined to keep him at bay, but you are only human. You will falter someday, your resolve will waver, and there will come a time when you will give in to weakness, and that is when Ansem will strike. This is _not_ a possibility, it is a surety. Not an 'if', a 'when'. You can't know for sure that your own strength will always be enough…but if you let another have access to your heart, if you let _me_ , that is, then there is a way we can seal that Darkness away forever. It would still be there, and it will still be possible that you might fall prey to your own Darkness, but the lock would contain Ansem and his Darkness, and you would no longer have to worry about him taking you over in a moment of weakness. You'd only be just as susceptible to Darkness as anyone else who _hasn't_ had a sentient force of malevolence embedded in them. That's if you don't mind my meddling, that is."

Riku didn't have to think about it for too long. "Sure, sounds great…but what would I have to give up?" he asked. By now he knew better than to expect a free lunch, as it were.

Naminé nodded. "Yes, there would be a cost. I would have to put you to sleep for a while…not long, a week at most. And I would have to seal away your memories of the Darkness. You would forget everything since you opened your homeworld to the Darkness."

"Everything?" Riku asked. "Even you?"

Naminé hesitated, just for a second, and then proceeded to tell the biggest lie of her short life. "No, of course not," she said, shaking her head emphatically, "I can leave your memories of me untouched, since you've already thrown off Ansem's influence. Only the memories you made while under Ansem's influence would have to be locked away. Serving Maleficent, fighting Sora, endangering Kairi, and becoming Xehanort's Heartless's host. All of your biggest regrets would be locked away in a box. You'll probably learn about it all when you wake up, so that you understand what all is going on here, but you still won't remember any of it, so you'll finally be rid of the guilt you've been carrying. In other words, aside from a week of your life, you won't lose anything important. Nothing you can live without, anyways."

Naminé wanted to burst into tears for so viciously cutting herself down like this, but she kept her expression under control. She couldn't tell Riku the truth and take the risk that it might influence his decision. He had to make the best choice for himself.

Riku gave her a smile that broke her heart completely, and stood up. "Alright then. Since you came from Kairi and Sora's hearts, I know I can trust you with mine. I'd rather fight Ansem on my own, but if this means I don't have to fight him at all, and makes it certain that he'll never endanger my friends through me ever again…well, hell, what's a week and a few embarrassing memories, anyways?"

"That was very well said, Riku," said DiZ, echoing the words he had said to him in Ansem's voice when he had first woken up in the deepest basement of the Castle. "This way, please–"

"Can you wait for us outside, Riku?" asked Naminé abruptly, "I need to have a word with DiZ in private before we get down to work."

"Uh, sure. If the Organization shows up, I'll be sure to scream _really_ loud for you guys," he joked on his way out.

After he had left the mansion, DiZ narrowed his visible eye and asked, "Why did you lie to him?"

"To help him make the right choice," said Naminé simply. "As I filled him in on what's happened since the battle with Xehanort's Heartless, I had plenty of time to get a good look at his heart. There's a _lot_ of Darkness there, but his Light is almost as bright as Sora's. He might have declined, in order to spare my feelings…or he might not have. I didn't want to leave it to chance. You understand all about that, don't you…Ansem?"

DiZ's eye widened. "How–"

"It's as easy for me to read other people's memories as it is for you to read a book," said Naminé. "Now please listen to me, this is very important. I know who you are and what the Organization has done to you. I know very well what you intend for them and I have a fairly good idea of how far you're willing to go. In any case, they're dangerous and need to be stopped, and I'm not going to turn my nose up at your help. But please, keep this in mind. A heart is made up of memories chained together. Damage the chain and you damage the heart; break the chain completely, and you break the heart completely. My heart–oh yes, Ansem, I _do_ have a heart, and I can tell because right now I wish I didn't–my heart only _feels_ broken right now, because I know what I'm giving up, not just to help Riku but to help everyone in the months to come." Now Naminé's tone became uncharacteristically icy, "I understand your prejudice against Nobodies and where it came from, I do. But if you ever so much as imply that _I_ can't feel the things I'm feeling right now, or that Roxas can't feel–or if you ever threaten mine or Roxas's existences or tell anyone that we 'don't have a right to be'–I will not hesitate to _individually_ shatter every single link in _your_ chain of memories, and reduce you to a drooling, unfeeling meatsack. Are we understood, Ansem?" asked Naminé.

"…quite," replied DiZ after a moment of tense silence. Without another word, he stalked out of the room. Naminé, feeling a small bit of pride in herself and just the tiniest smidge of guilt for being so mean, followed him.

* * *

A/N: To Be Continued! So much questions, so little answers! What's going on here, does anyone know? Find out in the next chapter, _A Year Reclaimed, Chapter 8.5: The Future Strikes Back To The Future, Part 3.14597 Episode XV!_ Soon to be released on Flu-Ray™.

(No, not really. What are you, crazy? You must be, if you're still reading this!)


	9. The Breaks of Time

**A Year Reclaimed.**

 **Chapter 09: The Breaks of Time.**

 **(You know what they say: "You can't make a Time Travel Fic without breaking a few realities". Or something like that.)**

* * *

 _Forward:_

Adrift in darkness without limit or boundary, in the depths of the deepest shadow in all the Universe, there too was the Universe's single greatest light. The source of all lights, the cradle of all hearts, the grave of all souls, and the wellspring of all knowledge. That massive Light, so incomprehensively vast and bright that no one could see it in its entirety, rather could only process a heart-shaped fraction of its glory, hung in the midst of oblivion, surrounded on all sides by abyssal darkness that knew no end.

Kingdom Hearts.

He smiled cruelly, knowing that its power was within his reach, for he alone held the one Key that could unlock its mysteries.

Yuffie led Riku into the castle's library, Terra and Ventus right behind him. It looked mostly the way he remembered it, though no light shined in through the windows, which offered only a view of dirt. Instead, the library was illuminated by several magical orbs of light that drifted in slow, lazy circles up near the ceiling. A scrawny boy with a mop of blonde hair was directing a handful of animated brooms that were tidying up the massive archive of books. A very disgruntled-looking owl was perched on his shoulder, and strapped across his back was a sword that would have been a reasonably-sized one-handed longsword in the hands of a grown man, but on him looked comically oversized.

"Yo, Wart!" Yuffie crowed at him.

The boy, apparently called Wart (Riku hoped he was just called that; it was weird enough as a nickname, Riku couldn't imagine any parent/guardian being cruel enough to _name_ a child that) turned and greeted them with a wave. He poked at the owl on his shoulder, who gave an irritated hoot before taking to his wings and flying up towards the ceiling. Riku lost sight of him as he ascended past the light-orbs, but he quickly dove back down with a book in his talons. By the time Yuffie and her charges reached Wart, the owl had returned and dropped the book in Wart's waiting hands. "Thank you, Archimedes," said Wart politely before opening the book and holding it up so it faced the others.

"Kay, before you go in I'm gonna remind Riku of Rule Number One, seeing as his memories are all weird today," said Yuffie. "No matter what happens, _no matter what_ I tell you, NO summoning your Keyblade inside the book. If no one summons a Keyblade inside the book, _he_ won't be able to sense its world's presence, which is the only reason it's still a safe haven for the refugees we've picked up. Got that Riku? _NO KEYBLADES_!"

"Yeah, yeah, I've got it…but what do we do if Heartless show up? Magic only?" asked Riku.

"What-what-what!?" exclaimed the owl, Archimedes, in surprise. "Now, Riku, really! I thought you were more sensible than that. You know fully well that the Heartless cannot enter the world in this book. It was born from the innocence of a child's heart, and has no avenues that darkness can exploit to enter by. Presumably, this excludes Unversed and Nightmares from entering as well, because so far they haven't. But if Vanitas senses the existence of the world within the book, he could use that infernal Key of his to open it up to the Darkness."

"It's sound conjecture, at any rate," commented Ienzo, who was seated at a nearby table poring over a half-dozen books at once.

"Alright, in we go!" said Ven, stepping up and disappearing in a burst of light into the book. Terra gestured for Riku to go ahead of him, and Riku shrugged before stepping up and approaching the book…

…

Riku blinked as he suddenly stood in a very brightly lit meadow. The air was fresh and clean, like back home but minus the saltiness. Sora had told him about this world once or twice, but Riku had never been here himself. "C'mon, Riku! New Disney is this way!" shouted Ven, who was already at the edge of the meadow. A young deer was bouncing around next to the spiky blonde; Riku recognized him as one of Sora's old Summons…Bambi, was it? Terra appeared in a flash of light nearby, and all together the three Keyblade wielders and the deer set off through the Hundred Acre Wood.

Not long after, maybe twenty or thirty minutes, they approached another clearing, this one populated by a sprawling village of thatch-roofed wooden houses. He recognized a few of the townspeople from different worlds, like Traverse Town, Twilight Town, Hollow Bastion, and even Destiny Islands. _'Weird…Sora never mentioned anything resembling a town in this world.'_

Another owl swooped down from above and landed before them, this one much more genial in his demeanor. "Welcome back, Keyblade Masters. Her Majesty is waiting for you at Town Hall," he said, pointing towards the center of town with his wing.

"Thank you, Owl," said Terra as he took the lead.

Moments later, they reached a large, three-story building, topped with what appeared to be a huge cuckoo clock and a water tower bearing the words 'New Disney Town' on the roof. Sitting on the bottom of the steps leading up to the Town Hall's front doors were two people playing some kind of card game. Riku's 'other memories' told him they were guards named Biggs and Wedge; his heart started aching again, insisting he had never met them before.

The four of them ascended the stairs and entered the Hall. Riku didn't pay any attention to the interior, hoping to avoid any more painful memory conflicts by staring at the back of Ven's head while they proceeded, walking up two flights of stairs and coming to a stop outside of another door. Riku glanced up, and his breath caught as he recognized the King's Emblem carved into it.

" _HAHAHAHAHAHA! DARKNESS WILL TAKE YOU ALL!" Vanitas screamed, the freshly reformed χ-blade raised in his hand, his salute to the impending apocalypse._

" _No!" Riku screamed, falling on his hands and knees as despair crashed down on him. All they had suffered and sacrificed to prevent this from happening, all for naught…Xehanort was finally beaten, but the worlds were still doomed._

" _Don't give up, Riku…there's still hope," said a voice next to him. Riku turned and saw King Mickey, back on his feet. He was battered, bruised, and bloodied all over from the last battle with Master Xehanort. One of his eyes was swollen shut, he limped as he moved, and his right arm hung limply at his side…but his left hand still held tightly onto Star Seeker. "The χ-blade is powerful, but Vanitas is just one person. If we fight together, we can_ still _beat him!"_

" _Mickey?" Riku asked, wondering how the beaten king could still have hope._

" _And don't forget, Sora's still in there fighting him, too…or have you given up on him?" Mickey asked with a challenging tone, facing Riku with a determined smile.._

 _Riku set his face into an expression of determination and nodded. He stood up and called forth Oathkeeper–_

– _and then Mickey was impaled through the chest with the χ-blade; Vanitas was suddenly standing behind them, cackling insanely as he lifted up the King of Disney on his weapon like a spitted rabbit. "Hope dies with you, Little King," said Vanitas, before swinging the χ-blade to the side, sending Mickey flying off into the maelstrom of darkness that was consuming the Keyblade Graveyard._

 _There were no dramatic screams this time. No semblance of coherent speech. Riku just wailed like a dying animal, all capacity for rational thought stripped from him. Even when Master Xehanort had been going to town on Mickey, his barrier keeping the rest of them from helping, it had never occurred to Riku that the King could actually…that anything could possibly…Riku couldn't even finish the thought, even now after seeing it happen. It was only be sheer instinct that he was able to raise Oathkeeper to block Vanitas's next swing._

 _Then Riku's despair was supplanted by all-consuming rage, darkness swirling around both him and Vanitas as he went on the offensive and went at him with everything he had. All he was aware of was Vanitas's taunting smirk, the clanging of their weapons, Ansem's riotous laughter in the back of his head and the agony as the darkness wore away at the lock Naminé had placed in his heart…_

Riku was curled up on the floor, screaming inarticulately as indescribable pain seared his mind and tore into his chest. The pain ebbed enough for him to recognize that Terra and Ventus had pulled him into the room, that Queen Minnie (wearing unusually plain clothes) was kneeling next to him, looking very concerned, and then the pain came back at double-strength.

Surely, this was the end. This time, either his head would explode or his heart would shatter into tiny pieces, as Naminé once told him she had been forced to do to his Replica– _he didn't have a Replica_ –and the sole coherent thought that drifted in through the torture was annoyance that he was going to die without ever figuring out what the hell was…

And then it was all gone. The pain evaporated, and Riku became aware of a cool hand on his temple. He glanced up out of the corner of his eyes, not daring to move his head if he could help it, and saw that the hand belonged to a familiar blonde young man kneeling next to him, his eyes closed and softly muttering something that sounded like a mantra or incantation. Then the quiet chanting ceased, violet eyes opened, and he gave Riku that trademark sassy smile of his. "Well, well; I was wondering when you'd show up, dear Riku," said Joshua.

* * *

 _Backwards:_

"SOWA!" screamed Donald in the sleeping Keyblade wielder's ear. Sora jerked awake and sat upright, summoning Kingdom Key on reflex.

"Whasgoin'on?!" he yelped groggily. Seeing no immediate danger, he dropped his weapon and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, yawning hugely. Raking his fingers through his redonkulously-even-more-spiky-than-usual hair (because the only thing crazier than Anime Hair is Anime Bedhead) he looked around and saw that he was back in his temporary room at the mostly decrepit inn in Hollow Bastion. Donald stood next to his bed, looking quite irate and tapping his foot impatiently.

"You've been sweeping aww day, that's what!" Donald snapped. "Evewyone's waiting fow you!"

"Everyone whoooooo-aaahhh," asked Sora, his question turning into another yawn.

"The Westowation Committee!"

"Restoration Committee?"

"Yeah! Leon, Aewith, Yuffie, Cid, Merwin, Cloud, Tifa…an' me, Goofy, and Xion, too!"

"Who's Tifa?"

"Cloud's fwiend fwom yestewday, wemembew?" Donald asked impatiently.

"Oh yeah! The one with the huge…uh, punches…" Sora blushed, and said, "Okay, I'm up. Give me…fifteen minutes? To get ready?"

"What the heck do you need fifteen minutes fow? It's not like you have any clothes to change into," Donald pointed out.

Sora glared at his friend. "I'm a fourteen-year-old boy, I just woke up, and you've got me thinking about Tifa and her…punches…what do you _think_ I need fifteen minutes for?" he asked pointedly. This only made Donald look more confused, and it occurred to Sora that he was talking to a _duck_. "Never mind, it's a mammal thing. Just go, okay?"

Twenty minutes later, Sora was following Donald and Goofy into a house that had apparently been claimed by Merlin the Wizard, which explained why it was the only building in the whole town that appeared to be in perfect condition. There, indeed, all of their old friends from Traverse Town were assembled, along with Cloud, Tifa, and Xion. Seifer, Rai, Fuu, and Vivi were also there, as was Shera Highwind, who was making rounds and passing out cups of barley tea.

"So…what's up?" asked Sora as soon as they were all seated around a table.

"Kind of hoping you had an idea, Keyblade master," commented Cloud dryly, but not exactly in a mean way.

"Master?" asked Merlin, "Oh, my, no. Sora's a far cry from a master, yet. Hmm, actually, that would be a good place to start; Sora needs to meet a _real_ Keyblade Master. Or, seeing as the King is off in Parts Unknown, we'll have to settle for a retired Keyblade Master."

"Master Yen Sid, ya mean?" asked Goofy.

"Who!?" asked Sora.

"The King's Master, who taught him how to be a Keyblade wielder," replied Donald.

"Whoa! Wait a minute," Sora frowned and started thinking hard. "First it was just me, but then it was me and Riku–sort of–and then the King, and then Roxas and Xion showed up, and now it turns out the King had a master…just how many Keyblade wielders are there, anyways?" asked the young brunette.

"Oh, there used ta be more," commented Goofy. He nudged Donald and said, "Remember Aqua? And Terra, and Ven?"

Donald nodded, his expression gone sad. "Yeah, poor…wait, VEN!" squawked Donald, jumping up to his feet in his seat. "That's why Woxas looked so familiar! He looks just like Ven!"

Goofy frowned, and then his eyes widened. "Gawrsh, you're absolutely right, Donald! I wonder how come we didn't realize it sooner?"

"Well, it _was_ a long time ago, and we didn't weally know him vewy long…but it can't be a coincidence! Thewe has to be a weason they look so alike! They'we both Keyblade wielders…maybe Master Yen Sid will know!"

"Then I guess that settles it," said Sora, folding his arms behind his head. "We'll go see this Yen Sid guy. You wanna come with, Xion?"

"Sure! Maybe he can help us get stronger, so we can save Roxas and Naminé," said Xion.

"And he can probably help us find Riku and the King, too!" added Goofy.

"And while you're doing that, you can take these kids home," said Leon, pointing at the Twilight Town kids. "Their parents are probably worried sick."

"Uh-uh," said Seifer, shaking his head, "We aint bowing out of this fight just yet. We told that girl we'd keep her safe, and those Organizer bastards took her, _and_ Fuu's eye, too. It's time for some payback, and we aint going home without it!"

"Revenge is a game with no winner," spoke up Aerith.

"Forget that pacifist nonsense," said Seifer, "Someone's gonna die for Fuu's eye, and nothing's stopping us from helping save the girl."

Sora frowned. "Seifer…that sounds pretty…evil-ish," he noted.

Seifer just shrugged indifferently. "If making the bad guys pay for hurting my friends and kidnapping an innocent girl is evil, then I guess I'm a villain."

"And just what are you going to do?" asked Leon. "The only weapon you're trained with is a _bat_. A _toy_ , for all intents and purposes. If you want to fight alongside us, you'll need to become a little more useful. Taking a vengeful idiot into battle is bad enough; taking a vengeful idiot that _can't fight_ is just down right ignorant."

"I can fight!" Seifer gnashed, "And so can Rai and Fuu, and even Vivi, when it comes right down to it."

"Combat ability is a spectrum, not a binary," Cloud pointed out, "It's not as simple as 'can you, or can you not, fight?' If you're not strong enough to compete with the enemy in front of you in the here-and-now, then you can't fight."

"Stronger," said Fuu, the first word she had uttered since awakening.

Rai sighed. "She's right; we need to be stronger than we are, y'know?"

"Maybe…these guys can teach us?" asked Vivi. "I mean…they're _tough_. Even stronger than Setzer!"

Seifer's jaw twitched. His frown became a scowl. Clearly, he didn't like the idea of asking others for help…but he wasn't stupid. Headstrong to the extreme? Oh, yes, verily. But not actually lacking in intelligence. But his pride was enough to eclipse his common sense; he knew they would need help to grow stronger, but the last thing he wanted was to actually ask.

Leon, who remembered being much like Seifer in his childhood days, knew exactly where the teen's mind was at, and he smirked. "Sure, we'll train you…hell, I'll personally teach _you_ ," he pointed at Seifer and held up his Gunblade with the other hand, "To use one of _these_ …but only if you ask. Nicely."

Seifer's scowl became a grimace, as if being force-fed some bitter medicine. "Fine…could you give us lowly amateurs a crash-course in Badass 101… _please_." He poured as much arrogant sarcasm and defiant pride as he could into that last word.

Leon couldn't have possibly failed to notice it, but nevertheless he recognized the boy's potential. When the chips were down, he stepped up, even when he was _hilariously_ in over his head. And he seemed far too determined for that tendency to ever be beaten out of him. If someone didn't give him some proper training, he was going to get killed some day. With a sigh, Leon said, "I guess that's the closest thing to politeness that you can manage…alright, if only for your own sake, we'll teach you. But we're pressed for time as it is, so I'm not taking four students at once. The rest of you will have to get training from someone else."

"I call dibs on the quiet girl!" screamed Yuffie immediately, jumping up. "She'll make an _awesome_ ninja."

"Maybe one of the other boys has some aptitude for magic?" suggested Aerith.

"If anyone here has the potential, I can teach them," offered Merlin.

"That's good. You're a lot better with Black Magic than I am," said Aerith. "Maybe I can teach one of you staff fighting?"

"Hey! Maybe one of them can learn to be a Keyblade wielder!" Sora exclaimed, looking excited.

"Not very likely, my boy," said Merlin with a chuckle, "For one thing, any potential Keyblade wielder needs to be initiated by a Keyblade Master. Seeing as Yen Sid is retired and King Mickey is in the Realm of Darkness right now, and goodness even knows what happened to Master Aqua, there are no Masters available for the task. Besides, Keyblade wielders are few and far between for a reason; the Keyblade only accepts those whose hearts are _exceptionally_ strong."

Sora frowned. "But…no one ever initiated _me_. The Keyblade just came to me when I needed it."

"You were likely initiated many years ago, when you were very young. Possibly by the King himself; there has to be a reason that he _knew_ you would appear and start…Keyblading all over the place when you did," Merlin reasoned.

"He did tell me to keep an eye out for you not long before you arrived in Traverse Town," added Leon. "Mind you, he didn't give me a description to go by; he just said that a 'young fella with a Keyblade is gonna show up real soon', and that when he did he would need my help."

"Yeah, an' in that there letter he left behind he told me an' Donald that we needed to look for 'the person with the Key'," added Goofy.

"You know, no matter how little I was, I think I'd remember meeting a person-sized talking mouse," said Sora. Then he stood up and said, "Well then, I guess we ought to see this Yen Sid guy. Donald, Goofy, Xion, let's roll!"

As the quartet (hey, they should get some flat hats and candy-cane striped shirts! And Sora should grow a mustache!) shuffled out of the door, calling 'see ya later's back at the others, Donald squawked "It's _Master_ Yen Sid!"

A moment after they were gone, Tifa stood up and stretched, popping her shoulders and her neck. She turned to the Twilight Town kids with a smile and asked, "So, who wants to learn how to explode things with their fists?"

* * *

 _Forward:_

Riku, sitting in a chair and looking as though he had aged five years in as many minutes, accepted a glass of water from a Broomstick with a murmur of thanks. The Broomstick saluted crisply before marching off to its next task. Ventus– _Roxas?_ –and Terra– _Xemnas!?_ –were speaking with Queen Minnie, who was seated behind a desk on the far side of the room. Whatever they were saying, they weren't saying it loudly enough for him to make out through the low, persistent ringing in his ears. It took him a moment to process that someone _was_ speaking to him; he looked up at Joshua and said, "Sorry, what was that?"

"I asked you how you were feeling," Joshua reiterated. Riku only shrugged. Joshua sighed, "I don't know what you remembered, but it must have done a number on you. Things are very…not right."

"Wrong, you mean?"

"No, no, not 'wrong', per se. Just…not quite _right_."

"…that makes no sense, Joshua," Riku said gruffly.

Joshua made a short little 'ha' sound, like an abbreviated snicker, "You sound just like Neku when you say that. How alike you two are, it's no wonder that…never mind, not important. Well, it should come as no surprise that it's up to you to set things right, you beautiful teenage wasteland, you. But don't worry. I'll assist you as much as I can," he added with a smile and a wink.

"Right…and how in the hell do we set things right, Josh?" Riku asked bitterly, not even having the emotional strength to make his tone as angry as his words. That last vision…memory…whatever it was, had completely drained him. And yet, inexplicably, it didn't _hurt_ anymore. Was he struck numb, or…

"No, it was me," said Joshua, seemingly sensing Riku's confusion and its source. "You were breaking down, so I had to…disconnect…your mind and your heart, to prevent the memory friction from destroying you. Basically, you can't really…think _and_ feel at the same time, right now. As you're a predominantly logical person, as opposed to being predominantly sentimental like, say, Sora, you naturally default to thinking over feeling. Which is fortunate, otherwise having an intelligent conversation with you in this state would be all but impossible."

"So I _do_ have two sets of conflicting memories. _Why?_ " Riku asked.

Joshua sighed, almost wearily, and turned towards the others. "Your Majesty," he called, "I'll be borrowing our dear Riku, if you don't mind."

Minnie just nodded and said, "Of course." Ventus and Terra started and looked as though they were going to passionately protest, or at least insist on coming with, but Minnie firmly stated, "No. Whatever the Composer's business with Riku is, it's not for us to question or interfere."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Joshua with a gracious inclination of his head. Then…something _weird_ happened.

Riku had flown through interspace on a Gummi ship, and he had traveled through Corridors of Darkness. He had traversed significant distances at incredible speed using Flowmotion. He also had memories of being "poofed" for want of a better word between worlds by Merlin the Wizard, teleporting across much shorter distances using a spell he had learned from a woman with blue hair, and using a strange vehicle created from his Keyblade (or rather, from Oathkeeper) to traverse something Terra and Ventus called 'The Lanes Between'. He had traveled all kinds of ways, but whatever Joshua did was…different.

One instant, he was standing in Queen Minnie's office on the third floor of New Disney Town's City Hall, facing Minnie, Terra, and Ventus. The very next instant, without any warning, preamble, transition, or any other discernable 'visual effect' of some sort, he was standing on the roof of a skyscraper under a sunny, lightly cloud-speckled sky, looking out on a _massively_ sprawling cityscape. Like, seriously, Riku couldn't tell which was more disorienting; the abrupt change of scenery, or the sheer size and scope of the urban landscape laid out before his eyes. It was made even worse when he looked around and saw that it stretched out just as far in _every direction._

"Welcome…to Shibuya," said a voice that Riku didn't know, but was still familiar. It sounded an awful lot like…

"J-Joshua!?" Riku sputtered in surprise when he looked to his right. He definitely hadn't been there a second ago, when Riku had been looking around, but he was there now. He certainly did _look_ like Joshua, but he was clearly an adult, not a teenager. He looked like he could be anywhere from his mid-twenties to his early thirties, but either way he looked _good_. _Damn_ good. Riku had never thought of another guy as being 'beautiful'–maybe 'handsome', but only in an objective, 'man I wish _I_ looked as good as that guy' kind of way–but there was definitely no other word that was appropriate to describe Adult-Joshua. What's more was that his appearance was enhanced by a soft halo of white light that enveloped his entire body.

"Yes, Riku, it's me," Joshua confirmed, his lilting, somewhat deeper voice making the hairs on the back of Riku's neck stand up. "Don't worry, your reaction to my true form is…fairly typical, even for men. That is, it doesn't…'mean' anything, if that's what you're worried about," he added slyly.

"I…I wasn't worried about anything," Riku said defensively. "Anyways, where did you say we were?"

"We're in Shibuya, a special ward of the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan; the largest city in this entire world, as you can clearly see. Specifically, we're standing atop Shibuya's tallest building, Cerulean Tower."

"Shibuya," Riku repeated, wondering why it sounded familiar. "Ah! This is where Shiki and the others are from?"

"Yep. Over there is Minato, and Shinagawa, and Meguro; Setagaya's that way, and there's Suginami, and Nakano, and that way is Shinjuku. And all that you can see is still just a fraction of the metropolitan behemoth that is Tokyo," said Joshua, pointing in every direction.

"Whoa…" was all that Riku could articulate.

Joshua's glow faded, and he resumed his fifteen-year-old appearance. "Glad I was able to distract you, but I'm going to need you to be able to focus for the rest of this conversation, dear."

Riku, despite his hard-earned superhuman willpower, could not stop himself from blushing at that, even though Joshua's…quirks…had never bothered him before. "So, can you tell me why I have memories that contradict each other, please?" Riku asked, feeling his patience stressed.

"Because you remember the past that once was, as well as the false past that is," replied Joshua, strutting to the edge of the skyscraper before taking a seat.

Riku remained standing where he was, folding his arms and waiting for Joshua to explain what that nonsense was supposed to mean, point-blank refusing to ask. Then he realized Joshua _was_ speaking, but he couldn't hear him over the wind that was whipping around at this altitude. Rolling his eyes, Riku walked over to join the infuriating young man.

Joshua, smirking as smarmily as ever, continued, "As I was saying…someone has, for lack of a more apropos descriptor, derailed destiny."

"Derailed…destiny? What? How does that even make sense? Isn't destiny supposed to be…you know…inevitable?" asked Riku.

"Indeed, it usually is," agreed Joshua, "Which is why things are so…not right."

"So you're saying…what, that somehow Xehanort found a way to change the past?" asked Riku.

Joshua gave Riku a sidelong glance and raised an eyebrow. "I never said anything about Xehanort."

"No, but who else could be behind it? He's the only one I know of who can travel through time."

"But we're not dealing with time travel. There's only one way to travel through time, and it's specifically limited to _avoid_ altering the past. And even _if_ one were to circumvent the rules of time-travel magic, any changes one created, either through deliberate action or in a way that negates the circumstances leading to one's departure from the present, or future, would be instantly nullified by the Grandfather Paradox."

"… _what_?" asked Riku.

Joshua chuckled. "The Grandfather Paradox. Logically, if you set out to change the past, doing so removes your reason for ever time traveling, therefore you won't, therefore nothing is changed. Similarly, if one were to accidentally make a change that alters the chain of events leading to one deciding to travel through time, then the journey will never take place and the changes never made. In other words, the simple laws of cause and effect are the ultimate insurmountable safeguard against time travel shenanigans. So no, time travel was not the cause of the timeline's current predicament, and there is no evidence to suggest that Xehanort is culpable in any case."

"Then how–?"

"I have no idea," said Joshua bluntly, "And believe me, that's probably the second or third most painful thing I've ever had to say. All I know is that someone, _somehow_ , did something they were not fated to have done, which has caused the timeline to stray from its plotted course."

Riku was silent for a moment, and then he spoke up, "It must have happened right before Sora went to Castle Oblivion. That's when my memories start…arguing with each other."

"Always the insightful one, you are," Joshua complimented in a way that still made Riku feel like a little boy getting a pat on the head, as only Joshua could.

"So…why do I remember the…the 'right' past, anyways?" asked Riku, "Why am I the only one?"

"Not the _only_ one," said Joshua, "But you aren't _me_ , so it is a mystery why you would know…why do _you_ think it is, dear Riku?"

"It can't be the Keyblade, because Ventus and Terra don't remember either," Riku said, talking to himself for the most part. After a deep, pensive silence, he shrugged and said, "No idea. What do you think, Joshua?"

"Well, let's see. Besides the Keyblade, what else is special about you? Aside from your stunning good looks, that is," he added with another sly grin. Riku rolled his eyes. Joshua stood up and started pacing behind him, "Well, you're attuned to both Light and Darkness…you've been a Dream Eater, and claimed the power of the Seven Sleeping Keyholes–dreams are closely tied to our unconscious memories, you know–and while you yourself have never traveled through time, you were once possessed by a Heartless that did. It could be any of these factors, or it could be a synergetic effect of all of the above. Basically, Riku, you're a one-of-a-kind kind of guy. Whatever the cause, your heart remembers the past that should be, while your mind remembers the timeline that the other Riku experienced."

"So why did I only wake up now? Why haven't I been having dual-memories ever since the timeline went off the rails?" asked Riku, still staring out at the incomprehensively massive (for someone who grew up on a tiny island, at least) city, trying to soak in every detail.

"Well…because this is the present. Don't ask me to elaborate, please; if something as elementary as the Grandfather Paradox confuses you, the intricate laws of temporal-dynamics would make your head explode, and we can't be having that just yet," Joshua said with a teasing tone. Riku didn't question the strange teen's choice of words. Josh was weird, point blank and simple.

"So…what can we do? Go back in time and fix things somehow? I mean, if destiny is what stops us from changing the past than surely destiny will let us change it back into its proper shape."

"Ah, but it isn't destiny that prevents us from changing the past, but merely cause and effect. The Grandfather Paradox still applies, my dear; go back and change the past, and you _won't_ go back to change the past. But if a being who is aware of all the currents in the Timestream were to send you back in time, then any changes you made would be safeguarded against the laws of cause and effect. Of course, this still leaves the complication that you can't take your body with you."

"That's not a problem," said Riku, an idea suddenly coming to him, "There's a body in Castle Oblivion I can use, as long as I go back to just the right moment. Question is, who's going to send me?"

"Why, I will, of course," said Joshua, as if this were obvious. "As a being from the Higher Plane, I maintain awareness of all parallel realities. It is within my power to send you back in time…but unfortunately, the body you're speaking of didn't exist before the timeline was skewed. If you insist on taking that route, you will not be able to restore the timeline to normal, only attempt to mitigate the damage. To fix things completely–"

"I would have to pull an Ansem and take someone else's body," said Riku. He shook his head, and turned to look at Joshua, who was standing still behind him, hands clasped behind his back as he too gazed out at the city. "No way. My Replica, though…he only lived a short time, and he knew nothing but pain and misery as a plaything of the Organization. If I can spare him that pain and put his body to better use, for the good of everyone, than that's two good deeds with one stone. I _still_ don't exactly like the idea of stealing his body, but it's better than doing nothing and letting things stay this way. This 'present'…it's just too messed up. I'll never forgive myself if I don't do everything I can to save them…Sora, and Kairi, and…and M-Mickey…" Riku got choked up then, trailing off as he lowered his head and closed his eyes, fighting back tears.

"Everything, huh?" he heard Joshua ask. "Does that include dying for them, Riku? Will you give your very life to save them all?"

It should have tipped Riku off when Joshua asked ' _will_ you?' instead of ' _would_ you?', but then he wasn't able to think and feel at the same time at the moment, and at the moment he was definitely feeling. So he answered as his heart dictated, "Yes."

"Good…that's very good. Because you see, my dear Riku, I cannot help you for free, even though I want to. Even my power has rules, and giving freebies to mortals goes against those rules. Like everyone else, you have to _earn_ your happy ending. Which means–" (Riku froze as he felt cold hard metal pressed to the back of his head.) "–that we have to play a little Game."

No one down below on the bustling streets of Shibuya heard the gunshot that rang out from the top of Cerulean Tower, six-hundred-and-four feet above them. Riku didn't hear the gunshot either.

It's hard to hear anything when your head explodes.

* * *

 _Backward:_

Riku's eyes snapped open. He was floating in a pod. Not suspended in any kind of fluid, or anything. Just…floating. A simple burst of Darkness from his body shattered the pod around him, and he dropped like a puppet whose strings were cut in mid-air. He reached out to materialize his Keyblade, but none came. _'Right…I don't have one yet…'_

So instead, Riku tried, and succeeded, at conjuring Soul Eater. He frowned at the weapon, but gave a weary sigh. _'It's just a tool, like the Darkness. Just use it, and try not to think about where it came from. Now…where the hell am I?'_

The sterile white décor made it painfully obvious that he was in Castle Oblivion, but in a laboratory-like room that he had never been in before. "Must be Vexen's lab, where he created the Replica," he muttered to himself. He looked around and found a mirror, or rather a polished metal surface that was reflective enough, and confirmed that he was in what appeared to be his fifteen-year-old body. He flexed his arms and legs, tried practicing a few simple swings, thrusts, and combos. He really had to hand it to Vexen; it was one thing to create a perfect duplicate of a human body, but to give it the exact same level of strength and stamina that he'd had when they had fought…

Riku heard footsteps echoing outside, approaching the room, and a scent filled his nose, one distantly familiar but almost forgotten. A chilly scent…

Riku looked around. He was confident he could take Vexen in a fight, but he felt he would rather just get out of the castle as quickly and with as few delays as possible, so he could get to figuring out just what it was he was going to _do_. He spotted another door, a side entrance perhaps? He quickly opened it and left the lab, leaving a most bewildering scene for Vexen to find.

He raced down the hall, his mind scrambling to figure out the next step. _'So, Joshua sent me back in time…I don't know what he meant about 'playing a Game', or why I feel like my head should be hurting, but at least all those contrary memories are gone…but that means I don't know what I have to fix or how to do it. All I remember is that in the messed-up timeline, Sora never showed up at Castle Oblivion and somehow that led to his body being taken over by some…thing…that fulfilled Xehanort's plans to recreate the ultimate weapon in the universe. According to Ventus, that happened a year before I woke up, which according to Joshua was supposed to be the same moment in_ that _timeline as the last moment I remember from the_ proper _timeline before everything went wonky…and a year ago from then would be…about a year and a half after I met DiZ and left Castle Oblivion? I think? Damn this time travel stuff is complicated. Maybe that's why Xehanort went nuts? So I have…eighteen months to prevent the apocalypse? Without the first clue as to how I do that?'_

Riku stopped when he reached a four-way junction in the hallway he had been running down. "Shouldn't be too hard," he muttered to himself, "though at least one small hint would be nice…huh!?"

His outburst was caused by a loud ringing and an intense buzzing sensation in his…pocket? Riku reached into the pocket, grabbed whatever was buzzing and ringing, and pulled it out. It was a small, plastic…thingy. It appeared to be made of two halves joined by a hinge. Hoping to find a way to stop it from ringing before it drew unwanted attention, he tried pulling the two halves apart. It flipped open rather easily, actually, and Riku was surprised to find that it was some kind of tiny computer. The top half of the doohickey had a screen, and the bottom half had a keypad. To his relief, the ringing and buzzing ceased as soon as he 'opened' the device, and the screen displayed a picture of an envelope, and under that the words 'You Have Mail! Press Send To Open.'

Riku glanced down at the keypad and immediately spotted the key with the word 'SEND' in green letters on it. He pressed it, and on the screen the envelope disappeared, replaced by a little cartoon that was unmistakably a chibi-style rendition of Joshua. Next to his head was a word balloon with the text, 'Hello, Riku. Allow me to introduce you to your new mobile cellular phone, or 'cell' for short. To bring up the next slide, press 'OK'. It'll be the button between the arrows.'

Riku located and pressed the 'OK' button, and chibi-Joshua smirked as his word balloon popped and was replaced by another one inflating into being. The new one told him, 'Allow me to welcome you to a most unusual and very special Reaper's Game. As it is most unorthodox for the Composer to interact directly with a Player–not that that's stopped me in the past, mind you–after this tutorial is over, you'll be receiving instructions from your Game Master (hitherto referred to as the GM) via text messages.'

Riku pressed 'OK'. Word balloon #3 said, 'Although this is already a highly unusual Reaper's Game, as it is taking place in the RG rather than the UG, some things are sadly unavoidable. For one thing, one must be dead to play the Game so…yeah, I kind of had to kill you. But don't worry, when you win the Game I can bring you back, so no harm, no foul. Another thing is the entry fee. To play the Game, a soul has to give up the thing that means the most to it in all the world. But again, as with your life, your entry fee will be returned to you upon completion of the Game.'

Riku took a moment to process the fact that _Joshua had apparently murdered him_ , but seeing as he was clearly alive at the moment, and it was apparently reversible, and so far it honestly wasn't the strangest experience he had been through since leaving Destiny Islands, he decided to just let it go for the time being, and pressed 'OK'. WB #4: 'Typically, the Reaper's Game involves many people working in pairs, completing the missions given by the GM, and usually lasts one week. This Game, however, will only involve you and your partner (whom you will meet soon enough) and will last 550 days, which is how long you have to prevent the χ-blade from being reformed.'

The next few word balloons just instructed Riku on how to operate a cell phone, and the last one simply said, 'Do know that I have every confidence that you will succeed, dear Riku. But, seeing as I have time on my hands and one should never place all their chips on one number, even if it is a sure thing, I'll be preparing contingencies in the astronomically unlikely event of your failure. Also know that, as it is one of the more unavoidable aspects of the Game, failure in any task set for you by your GM will, unfortunately, result in your permanent erasure. Good luck!'

Riku wasn't sure what to think of that, but before he could give it much thought his cell buzzed again, announcing he had a text. He opened it.

' _Your first mission is to, like, escape from Castle Oblivion. You've totally got only six hours. Failure will get your ass erased! Love, your bombastic babe of a GM!'_

"The heck?" Riku asked himself. Well, he had six hours to get out of the castle, that much was clear. What he was less clear on was the GM's manner of speech. He shrugged and snapped the phone shut, stowing it back in his pocket. He looked around, wondering what his first move should be. His body, or rather his Replica's body, had the same physical strength he had when he was fifteen, but his heart and its inner power were the same as they had been before he had inexplicably woken up in alternate-reality Hollow Bastion. He was stuck with Soul Eater for now, and he would be restricted by Castle Oblivion's annoying card-based fighting system. But, all things considered, he was certain he could get out of here in six hours with plenty of time to spare…depending on which level he was on.

Then he took off running again, only for him to slam bodily into something the first time he rounded a corner. Except some _thing_ turned out to be some _one_. Someone in a Black Coat with the hood up. Then the Organization member spoke, and the sound of their voice shocked Riku so bad that he actually never processed whatever it was that he had said.

' _Oh, son of a–'_

* * *

 _Forward:_

Joshua reappeared in Queen Minnie's office as abruptly as he and Riku had disappeared. Ventus did _not_ flinch. He just kind of…jerked back away from Joshua…because he didn't like that weird fruity-smelling cologne he wore…yeah. Totally.

Anyways.

" _Where's Riku?_ " Ventus and Terra asked at nearly the same time.

"I sent him away on a mission," Joshua said nonchalantly, pulling out his cell and typing something with one hand. One thumb, rather. "One that, hopefully, will undo all the pain and misery Vanitas has caused you all."

"Wha…hey! Why'd you send him off without _us_!?" Ven demanded.

"Oh, silly Ven…because it just doesn't do to put all your good eggs in one basket," replied Joshua without looking up. "Riku's success is not guaranteed, and if he falls you two will still be here to protect what's left."

"We cannot hold of Vanitas forever," countered Terra, "If there is any chance to end him, no matter how slim, we should be putting _everything_ we have into it."

"And that kind of thinking is just fine," Joshua conceded, "on the _tactical_ level, where the only thing that matters is the battle at hand. But on the _strategic_ level, where is concerned the outcome of the _war_ , very unsound. We have to be planning contingencies."

"Okay, that's it," growled Ven, "Who _are_ you, and where have you been this whole time _anyways_!? If you wanna help stop Vanitas so badly, where were you when he first came back? When he killed Aqua! Or when the χ-blade was reformed!?"

"I didn't become _aware_ of the problem until the same time Riku did," replied Joshua, _still_ keeping his eyes firmly rooted to his phone. "And in the time since, I like to think I've been rather productive."

"You didn't…what?" snapped Ven. He turned to Minnie, "Your Majesty, who _is_ this guy?"

"All you need to know," Minnie replied calmly, "Is that the Composer is an ally to all who dwell in the Light. We can–and we _must_ –trust him, even if we don't understand his methods. With all that we have lost, he is the most powerful friend we have."

"If he's _so_ powerful–" Ventus began, but he was cut-off mid-rant when Joshua abruptly gasped, "No!"

All heads turned to face him, and they saw that he was gaping in disbelief at his phone, his eyes wide and face ashen. He hastily stuffed the phone in his pocket and turned towards the door. "Warriors of the Keyblade; we have to leave. Everyone still in Hollow Bastion needs to come into the book…except for Ienzo. The fate of the Realm of Light depends on what the four of us do in the next hour…or so."

"What!? Hold on, what's–"

This time Terra cut Ventus off, "Ven, questions later. He obviously knows things we don't…and the Queen trusts him, so we can too."

"Good old Terra," Joshua complimented, trying to retain his usual cavalier nonchalance despite the obvious shakiness edging his voice, "Always willing to put his faith in total strangers…but this time, it's the right thing to do. Everyone, get ready."

* * *

 _Hollow Bastion:_

And then Joshua, Terra, and Ventus were out of the book and back in the library. Ventus seemed to stumble in place over the unexpected and transitionless change of scenery. Yuffie and Wart, both of them used to having puffs of magic or something like that to warn of magical appearances, jumped back. "Get everyone into the book," Joshua said, turning to face the two Keyblade wielders. "Then you, Terra, must take the book and…well, just run for it. You'll be responsible for safeguarding it. Ventus, I'll need your help. Ienzo!" he called out.

"Wait, what's going on?" asked Yuffie.

"Vanitas…might be on his way here," said Joshua. Even he couldn't seem to say that with his usual flippancy.

" _WHAT!?_ " exclaimed everyone within earshot, including Ienzo who was just running up to the scene.

"He has found Kingdom Hearts. The Ascended are doing what they can to hold him back, but–"

"He's what? The _who_?" asked Ventus, bewildered and getting volatile. He grabbed Joshua by his shirt and started shaking him. "Start making sense, damn it, or–"

"VEN! Enough!" said Terra, reeling in his distraught young friend.

"Ienzo," said Joshua, seemingly ignoring Ven's outburst, "Before you go into the book with the others, I have a special job for you." He pulled his phone back on and showed the young scientist the screen, which displayed a progress bar at 75%. "Take this to the computer room. When the progress bar hits 100%, plug it into the computer and tell Tron to run Hail-Mary-dot-zip," Joshua instructed, also handing him a USB charger cable. He turned to Ventus. "You must escort Ienzo there. If Vanitas defeats the Ascended and consumes the power of Kingdom Hearts, he will achieve a state of cosmic awareness on par with my own. He'll know you're all here, and he'll send the Remnants at you." He turned to Terra again, "If that happens, there is only one place left that you can go where you _might_ be able to evade his senses."

"The Realm of Nothingness," replied Terra grimly. Joshua only nodded.

As Terra, Yuffie, and Wart scattered to find everyone who wasn't already in the book and Ienzo headed off towards the computer lab, Ventus lingered just long enough to ask, "What are you going to do?"

"Hmm…whatever I can to buy you time," Joshua replied somberly. He could have just blinked out again…but Ven's dismissive attitude left him in the mood to make a showier exit, so instead he enveloped himself in an aura of light and materialized a pair of huge white wings. He shifted into his full-grown form and gave Ven a grin and a wink before saying, "Catch you on the flipside, Venny~" and then disappearing amidst an explosion of light motes.

Ventus stared at the spot where he had disappeared, until Ienzo called for him. Then he blushed lightly and hurried along.

* * *

 _Back in Kingdom Hearts' resting place, deep in the deepest depths of the Realm of Darkness:_

A tremendous heart of pure light, surrounded by formless darkness that seemed to stretch out in every direction without end. But in the area around it, here and there one could discern specks of light (mere miniscule motes when compared to the majesty of Kingdom Hearts) flitting about. They were men and women with the wings of angels, all armed with weapons of all kinds…except, it should be noted, for Keyblades.

From a distance, they seemed to be zipping about aimlessly, like flies. But looking more closely, the observant might realize that they were, in fact, locked in battle with a most sinister enemy. A darkness _within_ the Darkness; a figure in black and red armor, bearing a weapon of ultimate power. He would charge at a target, blade flashing in the glow of Kingdom Hearts…and move on to his next victim a few moments thereafter.

Having been recruited from amongst the ranks of mankind's greatest heroes since long _before_ the Age of Fairy Tales, the Ascended were a massive army unlike any other, but they couldn't bring their full power to bare upon one target moving as quickly as he did, often using the Darkness around them to warp his location. Like a _total_ dick.

Into this fray, Joshua appeared. Manifested in his full glory, his teenaged avatar cast off, the Composer looked out at the battle…and deep in his heart, he despaired. All he could do now was buy the others time, and pray that Riku would succeed in his mission.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so…uh…

I AM SO SORRY! Like, seriously, SINCERELY, I am sosososososososo sorry, you guys. You can call off the search party, tell Huck that I'm not down in the Indian Caves with Tom and Becky, withdraw the search drones (that haven't already disappeared) from the Bermuda Triangle. I'm back, I'm here, I'm still alive and breathing.

I could give a million excuses for my extended absence, but suffice it to say that between my new job and the new video games I've got with the money from my new job…yeah, my writing time these days is more of a conceptual entity than an actual thing. Kind of like the horizon. Or tomorrow. Or my love life…

But anyways, moving on. I'm gonna do some serious time management type stuffs to fix all that. Try to be less of a wimp who takes ten-hour naps after work and spends 90% of his free time pretending he's a badass space marine or a mythical demon slayer. I'm no [insert name of a wildly successful multiple New York Times' Bestselling Author of your choice here], but there are people who have been following my stuff, and I have been unfair and neglectful of them. One more time, gomenasai.

A very, very special and especially heartfelt thank you goes out to Autological03, who's recent review got my attention and jarred me to the reality of my situation. I wanted to write them a reply, but apparently they have disabled their PM feature. While it saddens me that I cannot directly respond to them over some choice critiquing they gave me, I trust that they have their reasons and will merely have to hope that my future updates will meet their expectations. Thanks again, Auto, for giving me a much needed wake-up call ^_^

So, moving forward from here…when I started this story, it was kind of going to be the fanfic equivalent of a grindhouse movie. You know, all action and deliberate cringe-humor just for the its own sake, not to be taken seriously at all. Kind of like Dusk Til Dawn, or Planet Terror, or Machete, or Kill Bill, or Pulp Fiction…or most of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's movies, really. BUT ideas sprang up on me, and now I'm going to have to adopt a more serious writing style to reflect the changing tone of this story. And confusing though they may be, Naminé's powers will remain firmly rooted in her influence over "Memory", and will only expand as far as I can continue to find applications for "memory manipulation". For example, her feat of apparently unlocking Roxas's potential was just giving him access to Sora's and Ventus's experiences in combat; specifically, their collective memory of _how_ to fight, not the contexts of the fights themselves…though as Roxas has already hinted at, there was _some_ bleedthrough. And yes, I'll admit, I totally changed my mind from "Naminé created Xion in this timeline" to "Vexen still created her, but since she's an entity based on Memory Naminé was able to summon her to Twilight Town and 'activate' her". Because otherwise there's no excuse for Naminé not to crank out a whole army of Replicas from her head. However, I shall keep the whole "creating Replicas from scratch" thing as still a POTENTIAL ability that Naminé might manifest in the future, just in case. Hopefully things won't come to that. If it does, expect The Cloning Blues to kick in hard and things to get hella dark.

Things to look forward to NEXT chapter: Xion meeting Master Yen Sid, Leon giving Seifer a much-needed wake-up call, more of future!Riku's adventures in the past, more of Sora, Roxas, and Naminé accidentally making the future suck, and more of Organization XIII trying to get a handle on shit (let's see how long it takes my monkey-wrenching to make Xemnas lose his implacable calm). Well, _maybe_ not all of that in one chapter, but that's the kind of stuff that's coming up.

Also, while I'd like to give this story some kickass cover art, I'm a rubbish artist and I don't just wanna steal someone else's work from Google Images. Any awesome artsy people who wanna help me out there, do please send me a PM if you're interested. I'll be sure to credit you for your contribution, natch.

And a last line for those of you also reading _The Others_ , I'm sloooooowly getting back into working on that, too. Please, please be patient with this unworthy one, I beseech thee.

Thank you, good day, and ONE MORE "I'm sorry" for the road!


	10. The Next Step

A/N: I apologize to everyone who was hella confuzzled by my timeline-skewy antics the last couple of chaps. Still, the general consensus I got from y'all was that, while it was confusing, you were still invested in finding out what comes next. So, to quote the magnificent Billy Currington, "I must be doing something right." But anyways, just so you know, we're leaving the confusing future bits alone for now. The next several chapters will focus on the 'here and now' as it were. (Meaning that, at this point in the story, Naminé is still in the Organization's custody.)

Now, I have a request to make of you all, if you'll indulge me. While I am sincerely grateful for every single review, follow, and favorite I get, it's the reviews that mean the most to me BECAUSE in order to be the best writer I can be, I NEED you guys-and-gals-and-others to tell me what I'm doing right and what I need to improve upon. I don't _mind_ the generic "Hey, good job man, love the story, update soon please!" type of reviews, but I much prefer the more insightful ones. And knowing that people are enjoying _and_ thinking critically about my stories gives me a lot more enthusiasm to continue them. Not that I don't write these things for my own fun too, but if no one gives me any feedback my short attention span kicks in and my brain gets preoccupied with one of the other myriad story ideas spinning around upstairs (which, for those of you also reading _The Others_ and wondering "what the hell?" that's part of it; I got focused on this because it was getting more attention…and then work and games ate up my life…). So please, help me to help you!  
But for now, just kick back and enjoy the update.

 **A Year Reclaimed.**

 **Chapter 10: The Next Step.**

 **(In which Riku learns a thing or two about Thinking With Portals…)**

 _Castle Oblivion; a random-ass hallway, or 'corridor' if you're British:_

Riku could do nothing but stare up with wide, unblinking eyes in stark terror at the hooded figure, as he lowered his hood and flipped out his swag silver-blue manlocks. Orange eyes set in a cross-scarred face narrowed in an impression of contempt at the young man, who was presently breaking out in a cold sweat.

You might be wondering _why_ the generally unflappable Riku was reacting this way when, just earlier that day…in his frame of reference, anyways…he had gone 1v2 with Saïx and what he had thought was Xemnas without a shred of dread. Well, that's because Riku was a lot stronger back in that future. While this Riku had his older self's knowledge and experience, he was currently held back by a body that was a perfect imitation of himself when he was fifteen years old, fresh after being possessed by a Super-Heartless and still struggling with Darkness.

TL;DR: Riku had as much a chance to win this fight as a level 5 Magikarp had of beating Mewtwo.

"Riku…interesting," said Saïx in a (mono)tone that made Riku's skin crawl. Despite the minimum of inflection, it conveyed a sense of "oh, look, something that would be wonderful fun for me to dissect…without anesthesia."

"Vexen was just raving about a runaway Replica…could that be you? It must be; there's no way the real Riku has ascended this far already," Saïx continued. Without saying anything more, he extended an empty hand out to his side and manifested Lunatic in all its spiky, terrifying glory.

Riku mentally cycled through the cards he had in his deck; the best he had was a 6, and based on what he knew of Saïx he was surely going to open with something a lot stronger. What was more, having never fought Saïx in Castle Oblivion before, Riku had no clue what Sleights he might have.

There was only one thing Riku could do in this situation, seeing as he was backed into a corner up a creek with a snowball's chance in…wow, sorry, that kind of ran away from me…point being, Riku did the only rational thing he could do here.

He called up a Corridor of Darkness in the middle of the corridor of sterile-white and dove through. Discretion is, after all, the better part of valor.

* * *

"Wait, we're going back to _Twilight Town_?" asked Xion. She, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were all crammed into a little Falcon-model Gummi ship Cid had loaned them, it being the only serviceable Gummi ship available.

"We are? Why?" added Sora.

"Master Yen Sid uses powerful magicks to hide his Tower from ne'er-do-wells," explained Donald, "Which is why it's called 'the Mysterious Tower'. To get there on a Gummi ship, you'd need a very special Navi-Gummi that we don't have. We _could_ go and get it from home, but Merlin told me about a shortcut we can use to get there from Twilight Town."

"Aw, I bet yer jus' puttin' off goin' home cuz you know Daisy's gonna be steamed at ya for bein' gone so long," said Goofy.

"Shaddap! What-a you know, anyways," Donald grumbled as he sat the ship down in Station Plaza.

After everyone had disembarked, Donald conjured his staff and pointed it at the Falcon, which glowed briefly before lifting off and shooting away into the sky.

"What the!? Donald, our ship–" Sora exclaimed, pointing after the already-long-gone ship.

"I know, I know, calm down," said Donald, "Merlin sent word ahead to Master Yen Sid, and he told Merlin that he would have transportation arranged for us. We were only borrowing the Falcon from Cid, anyways."

"Huh. If you say so, Donald," said Sora, who looked as if he had already lost interest. Donald led the party up the stairs, into the train station, past the ticket counter, and onto a purple train with stars and moons painted on it.

A moment after the doors closed, the train took off, but disappeared in a flash of starlight before it ever left the station.

* * *

Riku had no idea where exactly his Corridor spat him out, other than that it was clearly still inside Castle Oblivion. A split-second after he emerged, another Corridor opened before him and Lunatic came flying out, spinning in a manner similar to a Strike Raid.

Riku's eyes widened as he instinctively summoned Soul Eater and tried to knock the flying weapon aside.

 **[5 Lunatic + 6 Lunatic + 6 Lunatic (17 "Moon Raid" Sleight) -BREAKS- 6 Soul Eater (Block)]**

Saïx's Sleight shattered Riku's block effortlessly, breaking his Soul Eater card and tearing open a gash in his shoulder as he was bowled over. Riku rolled to the side to evade Saïx's follow-up charge and summoned a new Soul Eater, his mind running frantically to think of a way out. As far as he could tell, he had two options; play cat-and-mouse until Saïx had to reload his deck, and then rush him with everything he had, or Duel him and hope like hell he won.

He disregarded the latter as way too high risk; failure meant a pretty good chance of him being beaten or worse, yet victory didn't guarantee that his Duel Sleight would be strong enough to significantly damage Saïx. Option A wasn't devoid of risk either; any mistakes and he was still a goner.

Riku groaned and jumped back away from Saïx's charging attack. The Luna Diviner charged after him with a bored expression, swinging Lunatic with minimal effort that translated to catastrophic force. After all, such a large weapon would obviously have a bunch of mass, which means a little force generates a lot of momentum. Riku knew that if Saïx landed a clean, solid hit, the claymore would strike him down like a wrecking ball.

Then, something clicked in Riku's head; a subconscious connection of neurons brought about by the accelerated frenzy of adrenaline-fueled brainstorming and sheer desperation. Knowing that he couldn't match a Nobody's stamina, hoping against hope that he could somehow pull this off yet rationally knowing he had no chance, he remembered something crucial, that he hadn't given any serious thought to at the time. Namely…

 _He hadn't had any Cards when he used the Darkness to shatter the pod._

Riku froze up, his eyes widening as he realized what this meant. Master Yen Sid had once told him how Master Aqua had used an ancient Keybearers' spell to _create_ Castle Oblivion, intended to preserve the balance between Light and Darkness by imposing it's strange combat system on those who entered. Except _it had never seen a Keyblade Master of Light_ _ **and**_ _Darkness before_.

Riku didn't have his Keyblade handy, but he still had his Heart. Saïx closed in, swinging too fast from too close for Riku to dodge–only for Lunatic to bounce off the Dark Barrier that sprang up around him. Riku adopted his trademark smirk, threw his hand up even as Saïx's eyes widened in surprise, and blasted him back with Dark Aura. Riku walked forward, flames of darkness flickering over his body as his Dark Armor materialized.

Saïx snarled and charged Riku again, this time with a Lunatic in each hand, throwing one while he flipped the other into a reverse grip. A Corridor of Darkness opened under Riku's feet and he fell through, popping back up out of the floor behind Saïx and slamming a ball of Dark Firaga into the small of his back. Howling in pain, Saïx swung behind him, but Riku coolly ducked and side-rolled through another Corridor, this time dropping out of thin air above Saïx and roundhouse-kicking him in the side of the head. Then he vaulted straight backwards, summoning a Soul Eater and using it to bat aside the next Lunatic that was flung at him.

"Give it up, Saïx," said Riku, "The rules of this place don't bind me as they do you. You can't win this fight, but I don't have the time to waste on you, either. Let's take a rain check on this; next time we fight, somewhere outside of this castle, it'll be a more even match." Riku silently hoped that, when that day came, he'd have regained enough of his strength to match Saïx when he wasn't constrained by the rules of Castle Oblivion.

Saïx leered at him and retorted, "I don't know _how_ you figured out how to use the Darkness without a Sleight, or open Corridors without a Map or World Card, but if you think that's enough to guarantee you victory–"

"I don't," Riku cut in, matching Saïx's glare with one of equal coldness, "It _does_. But…due to recent events, I find myself not _wanting_ to destroy you…but there are people who need my help, so I will if it comes to that. I know that right now all you care about is pleasing your precious 'Superior'…" Riku trailed off. Something in the back of his mind was nagging at him. He was forgetting something important…

" _Hey, A–Lea, there's something I've been meaning to ask."_

" _Oh yeah? Like what?"_

" _Well…Naminé told me what you did, in Castle Oblivion, and I was wondering…why?"_

" _You mean, why did I run around throwing my chakrams into everyone's plans?"_

" _Yeah."_

" _Well…heh, back then, me and I…Saïx…we were planning on breaking up the Organization from the inside and taking down Xemnas, seeing as he was the one who had made us both Nobodies. Plan was that Saïx would focus on getting closer to Xemnas, become his number-two man kind of thing, while I'd do what I do best; mess everything up. I was already under orders to get rid of Marluxia and Larxene, since they were traitors that Xemnas knew about, but I also used the confusion to take out Zexion to clear the way for Saïx to move up in rank. He scored brownie points because he was the one that recommended me for the job."_

" _Huh, I was wondering what ever happened to Zexion…but wait, what happened? To Saïx? How'd he go from conspiring against Xemnas with you to becoming…you know…?"_

" _That's a damned good question, man. Best I can figure, it happened sometime during the Year of the Sleeping Sora. Back then, he was still pushing our plan, but then we had a falling out over…uh, can't seem to remember exactly…had something to do with Roxas, I think?"_

Riku blinked. "No…no, you _don't_ want to serve Xemnas, do you? You and Axel, you're planning a rebellion, right?"

Saïx's jaw dropped and he staggered back. "How…HOW could you POSSIBLY know that!?" he demanded.

"Does it matter?" asked Riku. A Corridor opened behind him. "Let me go…and you'll have another ally against Xemnas."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW HIS NAME!?" Saïx roared, his orange eyes manic and his heart (the organ, not the Heart, obviously) racing.

Riku smirked again, finally feeling _truly_ in control of the situation. "I know a lot of things, _Isa_. If you and Lea want your Hearts and freedom back, you'll work with me."

Saïx seemed to freeze up for a moment, not even appearing to breathe…then his face smoothed over as his cold façade reasserted itself. "Vexen. He must know, somehow, and imparted all of this to you. You're just a means of conveying a threat."

' _OH FOR FU–grrgh, two steps forward and_ _ **five steps back**_ _,'_ Riku seethed inwardly.

"First I'll destroy you, Replica, and then I'll find Vexen…" Saïx trailed off and his eyes widened again when he hold out a hand to summon Lunatic…and nothing happened.

' _Oh, hey, he's out of cards. Aaaand we are back to square one, ladies and gentlemen,'_ Riku thought with a mental sigh of relief. As Saïx rose into the air, Reloading, Riku struck him with a Dark Splicer, coating his Soul Eater in a dark flame for good measure and rapidly slashing at Saïx with everything he had. Saïx took the hits but finished Reloading and retaliated with vigor, and as Riku jumped back to avoid his assault a twisted yet brilliant thought came to him.

He opened a Corridor behind him, linked to the one he had opened earlier but never used. This let him out behind Saïx again, but on the other side of the room. Saïx rushed into the Corridor, thrusting Lunatic in after Riku, who side-stepped to avoid the claymore as it emerged through the Corridor. And, just as Saïx's sword-arm was elbow deep, _Riku shut the Corridor down_ _ **hard**_.

Saïx screamed in agony as wisps of darkness flew off of the stump of his elbow. Riku forced himself not to heave in disgust and stayed focused on the Big Picture: namely, he was charged with saving the timeline and Saïx was in his way. He reminded himself that Sora and Kairi and Mickey and many others were depending on him. He steeled himself and ignored Saïx's pained cries, jumping up and releasing a Dark Barrage. Then, without waiting for the smoke to clear to see if Saïx's silence meant he had just been knocked out, Riku opened one more Corridor and stumbled through.

* * *

"Ah-ha-ha-heh…there goes our ride…" Sora chuckled nervously as the train they had just disembarked _disappeared into thin air_.

"Transportation's been arranged, Sora," Donald reminded him, taking point as he led the party across the small island inexplicably floating in interspace, towards…

 **[Cue New World Title Card]**

 _THE MYSTERIOUS TOWER._

Sora jogged to catch up to them, stopping just short of slamming into Goofy, while Donald was sternly filling Xion in on rules of etiquette to observe in the presence of the great and powerful retired Keyblade Master, Yen Sid. He tried to repeat it for Sora's benefit, but the young islander was preoccupied by the gorgeous sunset-colored clouds drifting all around them.

Then his preoccupation was shaken up by the ground shaking under his feet. The ground broke open as a _huge_ metal object tore itself free. It was a towering suit of armor wrapped up in chains, with wickedly curved blades in place of fingers on one hand, and where the other hand should have been was a wrecking ball hanging off a four foot chain. Overall, the monster was at least two to three times the size of the Guard Armor. Donald, Goofy, and Xion immediately summoned their weapons and took fighting stances. Sora, on the other hand, just sighed and laid a hand over his face, causing the other three to turn and stare at him.

"I remember a time when I could go more than five steps without running into a monster of some kind…" he lamented. Then he disappeared and reappeared directly above the metallic monster, Metal Chocobo in hand and a _wild_ grin on his face. "But this is WAY MORE FUN!" he shouted as he zipped down and slammed his weapon into the monster's helm. A resounding clang echoed across the island, but the armor didn't seem fazed. It swung up with the wrecking-ball appendage, but Sora smartly dodged before he could be swept off.

He landed on the other side of the monster, which spun about to face him with speed that seemed contrary to its size. It swung at Sora with its wrecking-ball appendage, but the young Keybearer easily double-jumped over the weapon. As soon as the monster turned its back on them, Goofy put his shield up and Rocketed himself at one of its legs, while Donald started running around to flank the metallic mammoth, flinging a flurry of fireballs, hailstones, and ball-lightning at it in a glorious visual cacophony comparable a fireworks display.

Xion was briefly awed by how fluidly the Trio worked together without exchanging a word or even significant glances. Each man knew where he was supposed to be and what he should do, and how to help without getting in anyone else's way, almost as if by instinct. Xion had felt a similar 'mesh' between herself and Roxas yesterday, as if they had fought together for years and knew each other's tactics inside and out. And even now, somehow, she felt as if she knew _exactly_ what her three companions were going to do, and it took an instant for her to figure her own place in the attack plan. Since Sora had the front, Goofy the rear, and Donald was flanking on the left side, it was only natural that she take the right; so she did, throwing Strike Raid after Strike Raid at the monster.

Unfortunately, Goofy's assault did little more than buckle one leg, just a little, and Donald's magic seemed to be _bouncing off_ of the fiend's armor-like body. Even the mighty Keyblades didn't seem to be doing as much damage as they should have.

The monster retaliated against their coordinated assault with a metallic shriek of rage before making a wide, circular sweep with its wrecking ball. Sora and Goofy both managed to leap over or duck under the chain, respectively, but Xion and Donald both got swept off their feet. Sora gave a vengeful yell and charged straight at the monster, launching into a Sonic Blade, while Goofy leaped into the air to catch a wildly-flailing Donald. Xion threw her Keyblade at the armor, and as soon as it bounced off she summoned herself to the weapon, and then executed an Ars Arcana in midair on its helm.

The armor screamed in outrage and struck out at Xion with its massive serrated claw. She managed to block the blades with her Kingdom Key, but got knocked out of the air and slammed into the ground hard enough to plow a furrow in the floating isle. Donald gave a ringing squawk of "COMET!" and a huge ball of light rained down out of nowhere, slamming down at the armor's feet and exploding, sending the metal behemoth into the air.

"Donald! Check on Xion! Goofy! See if you can knock it higher!" Sora shouted, switching Metal Chocobo out for Lionheart, and then he closed his eyes and took deep breaths, gathering his power. Donald helped a battered Xion back onto her feet and cast Cura on her, and Goofy Rocketed into the air, slamming into the armor and sending it a few yards higher.

"Donald! Xion! Ice the ground! Goofy, get clear!" Sora instructed next.

Donald nodded and started spamming Blizzaga at the ground directly under the airborne armor, while Xion shouted back, "But I don't know magic!"

"Think cold thoughts, then shoot them out of the Keyblade!" Sora advised.

"What?! How?!"

"Don't think about it too hard, just do it and it'll happen!" Sora assured her, "Oh! And don't forget the magic word!"

Xion was skeptical, but she did as Sora told her and aimed her Keyblade at the ever-widening patch of frost-turning-into-ice that Donald was creating, thought the coldest thoughts she could think of, and shouted, "Blizzaga!"

Much to her astonishment, she felt a rush of power flow through her and watched in awe as a massive shard of ice exploded out of the end of Kingdom Key. It struck the patch and hardened the remaining frost into ice. She grinned wildly and tried to cast the spell again…but suddenly she felt short of breath and sank to her knees. Meanwhile, Sora said to Donald, "Alright, let's bring him down HARD!"

Both mages aimed at the armor, now descending, and shouted in unison, " _GRAVIGA!_ "

A black sphere enveloped the monster, which then began to fall MUCH faster before slamming into the ice with more than enough force to make a very cool crater in the island.

Heh, get it? Cool crater? BWAH-HAHAHAHAHA!

Ahem…moving on.

Sora leaped up into the air and took aim at the crumpled heap of the armor, which was already starting to get back up, and began focusing his power. An aura of power held him aloft as radiant orange light began swirling around him and gathering at the end of Lionheart. With a battle-kiai of "RAGNAROK!" he fired a barrage of laser-bolts that bombarded the armor. And he didn't stop at the first one, either. Focusing the extra power he had gathered, he squeezed off two more waves, and after the third round of impacts, there was a great noise of shrieking, twisting metal as several of the chains binding the armor together exploded under the strain.

" _Alright, I've seen enough,_ " boomed a disembodied voice across the island. Everyone felt a wave of magical power sweep across the grounds, and the ground seemed to flow together like water, covering the armor-monster once more. Grass sprang up where the earth had been disturbed, and in no time at all there was no evidence that anything had ever happened in the first place. " _You have acquitted yourselves admirably against my Adamantine Armour. You may enter, young Keybearers and steadfast companions. Welcome to the Tower of Yen Sid,_ " the voice added formally.

"But there's no door!" Xion noted as the four of them dashed to the base of the tower, hoping to get inside before something else weird came up.

"Let's just see about that," said Sora, pointing Lionheart at the tower.

Nothing happened.

"Huh," said Sora.

"Huh?" asked Goofy.

"Uh-huh," Donald confirmed.

"Huh," Goofy observed.

"Uh-huh!" Sora agreed.

' _Boys are weird,'_ thought Xion.

"Awright, then, wet's try this!" said Donald suddenly. He raised Save The Queen and gave it a wave in the direction of the tower with an incantation of " _Libra!_ "

Before anyone could question the arcane water-fowl, they watched with wide eyes as the air rippled, seeming to part like curtains, to reveal a translucent mirage of a door with a faintly shimmering outline of a keyhole in the center. Sora grinned and aimed his Keyblade again; this time, a bright light appeared at the end before an equally bright beam of light shot out and struck the keyhole dead-center. The ghostly door ceased to be a mirage, materializing in the tower before unlocking with an audible click and swinging slightly ajar.

" _Well done,_ " Yen Sid's voice complimented succinctly from nowhere and everywhere at once, although now it seemed to be emanating from beyond the door just a little bit more than from any other random direction.

* * *

Riku stopped in the middle of running pell-mell down the halls looking for an exit, using Dark Corridors to bypass any door that got in his way (he had concluded that navigating between floors that way was too unreliable; using Vexen's scent as a point of reference, he determined that he was as likely to wind up _farther_ from the ground-floor as he was to get closer to it) when he heard the distinct trilling of his cellphone.

His newest text message read:  
 _Heya, Player! Your totes adorbes GM here with an extra special just-for-you-handsome BONUS OBJECTIVE! Since it's, like, totally optional and junk, you won't be erased if you fail, but if you don't do it you might, like, inadvertently make a paradox-thingy? And that might fudge you right out of Being anyhow. So…ya better do it, Slick-u! (LOL, new nickname =3)  
Your totally off-the-chain bonus objective is: Free yourself from the Destiny Islands Memory World. GL!_

Riku stared at the phone for several seconds. "Free myself…what?" he wondered out loud. Then the phone buzzed again as a new text appeared:  
 _Look, dude, that Luxord guy trapped your past-self in the Memory World of your home, and those Organization douches forced Naminé to make you (past-you, that is) forget that it's just a memory. So he thinks he's actually home. If he never leaves the Castle, or stays too long at least, it'll muck up the timeline even worse. You might wanna spring that Naminé girl, too. Good luck, dude._

According to his phone, the second text had been sent from the same number as the first, but Riku was positive that it hadn't been written by the same person. It was all too obvious, really. Question was, who? Riku shrugged and filed the question away for another time. He closed his eyes and focused on the different scents in the castle. He didn't sense himself…but then, it is said that one cannot easily smell oneself, is it not? At any rate, he pinpointed Naminé much more easily.

Unfortunately, she was apparently with Xaldin…and, as before, she was on the very top floor of the castle. As far as Riku could tell, he was somewhere on the fourth sub-level. That put seventeen floors between them. Consulting his phone's clock, he figured he had four hours left before he had to be out of the castle.

' _HOW?!'_ he wondered.

Then he got a third text, which he quickly decided must be from the same person as the second:  
 _BTW, here's a free tip. Your Game Partner can help you pull this off, but you need to let him into the castle. So get to the entrance and the rest is a cinch. Oh, and when you meet him…tell him that Kariya says he's an asshat. Kthnx bye._

So…the second texter was named Kariya? Maybe? Or was the second texter referring to the first texter? Shaking his head clear of distracting thoughts, Riku focused on the goal in front of him; get to the entrance and let this mysterious 'Game Partner' of his in, then find the floor where his past self was trapped in a memory-prison and bust him out, and somewhere along the way free Naminé from Xaldin. That was going to be annoying; he recalled Mickey telling him of when he had watched from the shadows as Sora fought the Whirlwind Lancer at Beast's Castle.

Never one to downplay the strengths of their enemies, he fully believed the King of Disney when he had said that Xaldin had been one of Sora's toughest fights. And he wasn't nearly as strong at the moment as Sora had been then. But his mastery of Darkness and the Castle's prohibitive rules of engagement had helped him get by Saïx, so maybe he could pull off another miracle.

' _But first thing's first; to the entrance,'_ Riku reminded himself. So away he went.

After a few minutes of trekking up staircases that hung in the air, suspended between portals, Sora and friends entered the study of the venerable retired Keyblade Master, He-Who-Trained-The-King, Yen Sid. The man in question looked every inch the epitome of 'sorcerer'. A long, luscious steely-gray beard; intense, piercing eyes that combined tiny pupils and non-existent irises to look simultaneously maniacally wide AND cunningly beady, which made his stare as intimidating as stares can get without being conveyed through a bat-like cowl; flowing star-patterned robes that sometimes crackled from the sheer mass of magical power woven into it in a manner similar to static electricity so intense that his pocket lint could warp time and space itself (which was how Yen Sid figured he kept losing the keys to his Gummi ship). And quite literally topping off the look was his hat, so pointy and starry and magically-charged merely resting on an unworthy head could cause all kinds of ridiculous magical shenanigans.

But that's a story for another time.

"Sora, the Keyblade's Chosen; it is good to meet you in good health, valiant child," Yen Sid spoke as soon as they stepped into the room, the door swinging shut behind them. But softly, not banging shut to give them all a cheap scare, because unlike SOME long-bearded, pointy-hatted, cryptic-as-shit magical mentors, Yen Sid was emphatically NOT a troll. (But we love you anyways, Dumble-daddy).

"Donald and Goofy, stalwart companions to more than one Warrior of the Keyblade; it is good to see you both again," he added, smiling softly and gently inclining his head in their direction; Donald and Goofy both snapped crisply to attention and saluted the wise archmage. Finally he turned his imposing gaze onto Xion, who admittedly felt a bit nervous but resolved not to let it show, and continued, "And young Xion, the mysterious _new_ Keyblade-wielder, having appeared from seemingly nowhere…a pleasure to meet you as well, child."

"Uh, yeah, you too," replied Xion.

"So…you're a real Keyblade Master?" asked Sora, eyeing the old man critically.

"I was," replied Yen Sid, "I am now retired."

"But you can still teach, right?" asked Sora, taking a step forward, "Because some friends of mine got captured by some _really_ tough guys. But if _I_ were a Master, they'd stand no chance, right?"

"The path to the Mark of Mastery is a long one, Sora. It is not achieved on a whim," said Yen Sid gravely.

"Aw, c'mon. I've already saved the Universe once! How many more times does it take to get a promotion?"

"That is not how it works, young man. Until now you have been fighting only the Heartless. Creatures with no intelligence to speak of, until you faced the one that called itself Ansem. In that fight, Ansem's strength was withheld by the effort to contain your friend, Riku, who was fighting to reassert himself the entire time," said Yen Sid, "Along the way you had help from many people, especially Donald and Goofy, both of whom have proven themselves in battle many times over the years. Make no mistake, Sora, you are strong for a fourteen-year-old, and your feats thus far are not insignificant. But you are not even ready to _begin_ the path towards Mastery. You are but a novice…although, with Masters Aqua and Mickey in the Realm of Darkness, with Ventus asleep in Castle Oblivion, and with Terra missing, you and your friends, Riku, Roxas, and Xion, are the best hope we have."

Sora frowned and opened his mouth to challenge Yen Sid's words, but Donald preemptively smacked his knees with his staff. "Don't argue with him, Sora!"

"While Mastery is yet beyond your grasp, it is always possible to improve yourself. Which is why you have come here," Yen Sid continued, somewhat more kindly.

"…right," said Sora hesitantly. "So, how do we get started? When will we be ready to rescue Roxas and Naminé?"

"Hold on, young man," said Yen Sid sternly. "You are getting too far ahead of yourself. Before you can think of rescuing your friends, you have to focus on gaining strength. Without the allies you had on hand, you would never have been able to defeat the Organization members that assaulted Hollow Bastion. And that was not even their full might; and to rescue the captives they have taken will require fighting them in their own territory."

"I get it!" Sora snapped, causing Goofy and Donald to gasp in shock, "I need to be stronger, fine, but _how long will it take_?"

Yen Sid narrowed his eyes, and Xion shivered at his steely gaze. Goofy and Donald both looked nervous, but even Donald didn't appear inclined to butt in. Without a word, Yen Sid slowly rose up and extended his hand. A Keyblade, Star Seeker, appeared in his hand, and he pointed it at the wall to his left. Bright stars of magical light gathered at its tip, and a beam of light shot out and struck the wall, causing an ornate silvery-white door to appear. "If you are truly so impertinent, then step through the door and see how pitiful is the measure of a novice's rage in the face of true power," said the old master with disconcerting calmness.

Sora only nodded before summoning Kingdom Key and stepping towards the door. Goofy and Donald didn't hesitate before making to follow him, and after only the slightest instant of uncertainty, Xion followed as well. Yen Sid said gruffly, "Not you three. Just Sora. Unless you also think yourself ready to fight the Organization, young lady."

Goofy and Donald froze in their tracks, but Xion's stride didn't falter. As they approached, the door opened to reveal a swirling vortex of magical energy, and the two young warriors of the Keyblade stepped through.

* * *

Sora and Xion emerged on a dusty, barren field under a gloomy, sunless sky. A stiff wind blew dust all over the place, and through the dust Xion could make out an odd silhouette. The mere sight of it gave her chills, and an unfamiliar face flashed through her mind, but it was gone just as quickly and try as she might she couldn't recall his features. Sora started towards it with resolute steps, and Xion followed without delay. As they drew nearer, the dust cleared.

The strange figure was covered in armor that featured a strange helmet with two long ear-like protrusions standing up. It knelt before a weapon, a massive Keyblade unlike any Sora had seen on his journey; it looked even bulkier than Metal Chocobo. A strange noise suddenly came from the armor, and words filtered into Sora and Xion's minds. _"Aqua…Ven…"_

Sora dropped into his fighting stance, and Xion summoned a Keyblade of her own. Sora had Kingdom Key, so she tried to summon one of Roxas' Keyblades; first, she tried to call on the neat black one, Oblivion, but it wouldn't appear. Confused, but unconcerned, she tried for the white one, which Sora had called 'Oathkeeper'. It appeared in her hand without delay.

" _A Keyblade? Who are you?"_ the armor asked them. _"I know you. We've met before, way back when."_ Xion got the feeling it was addressing Sora directly this time. Then she felt a wave of confusion from the armor, and by the look on his face Sora felt it too. _"No, that wasn't you. You're not the one I chose. Where is he? Xe…ha…nort…"_

Xion instantly felt uneasy at the sound of that name, and Sora felt a strange twinge of anger. A face flashed through his mind as well, the old man from his dreams, but it was gone before he could recognize him.

" _Is that you?"_ the armor asked. _"Xeha…nort…Xehanort!"_

The armor rose up to its feet, and Sora and Xion noticed the cape streaming behind it for the first time. It pulled its Keyblade out of the ground and held it out to its side with one hand. Then, without warning, it launched itself at them with such speed that the air warped around it. Although Sora and Xion managed to roll out of its path in time to avoid taking a direct hit, the force of its passing still bowled them over, only to quickly be sucked back in by the tailwind.

The armor planted its feet firmly in the ground, braking itself short and turning around to catch Sora and Xion with a backswing that sent them both flying. Sora managed to catch the ground with Kingdom Key's teeth, and with his other hand he caught Xion's.

But before they could do anything else, the Lingering Will was upon them once more.

* * *

 _A few minutes later:_

Goofy and Donald, both very ill at ease, sat in silence in Yen Sid's office. There was little they could do, save for wonder and worry. Then, unexpectedly, Yen Sid stood back up and gave a resounding clap. In an explosion of starlight, Sora and Xion both appeared in midair and tumbled to the floor. Goofy and Donald both cried out in alarm at the sight of them.

Sora's clothes and Xion's coat were torn to shreds, and both of them looked as if they had been beaten to within an inch of their lives. Bruises, scrapes, cuts, and it even looked as though they had a few broken bones. Neither one could seem to catch their breath for their pained wheezing. Needless to say, Donald wasted no time casting as much healing magic as he could on the both of them.

Meanwhile, Yen Sid walked around his desk and stopped in front of Sora, staring down at him with imperious eyes. "Now, do you understand how far away you truly are from being a Master, boy?"

"What…what was that thing?" Sora gasped, having managed to get up to his knees and clutching his bruised stomach.

"A mere Remnant of one who was much stronger than you…and yet, he too proved unworthy to be a Master," replied Yen Sid. "He, too, gambled everything he was on a desperate battle to help his friends. And his fate should serve as a grim reminder that there are more powerful things in the world than a hero's resolve. It was a Keyblade Master that reduced a kind-hearted and well-meaning young man to that empty shell."

' _Xehanort,'_ Sora thought to himself. "I…I understand, Master Yen Sid. What do we have to do?"

"For now, you need to recover from your…trial. Tomorrow, I shall begin training you and Xion in the proper handling of the Keyblade."

"Yay…" wheezed Xion from where she was still laying on her back.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, at the Legion of D–I mean, Castle Oblivion!_

The moment Riku opened the door to Castle Oblivion, he felt something whoosh past him, though he didn't see anything. For that matter, he didn't see anyone waiting for him outside. Then he heard a man's voice behind him. "Took you long enough! Did you take the most non-Euclidean vector you could find? You're _so_ zetta slow…"

Riku whirled around in an instant, calling up Soul Eater and a Dark Barrier at the same time, to face the possible-friend-possible-foe.

"Ha! Jumpy much? Exponential reflexes, though…but your awareness is a total negative integer," jeered the punk-looking man that now stood before Riku with his arms crossed. "Had I wanted, I could have subtracted you from existence without a sound…I think the Composer has a seriously hyperbolic estimation of your ability."

Riku tentatively lowered Soul Eater, though he didn't dismiss it, and raised an eyebrow. "You've got a thing for math puns, huh? You're the Game Partner Joshua sent, then."

"Precise figuring, there," the man complimented, though his voice was still rich with condescension. "How about that, the twerp can add two and two. My name is Sho Minamimoto, former Officer and one-time GM of the Reapers' Game…now reduced to a Player…but hey, could've been worse! The Composer could have erased me out-right for trying to take him out of the equation, but he had the foresight to know that I could still prove useful to him, so he threw me in a hole in Limbo until such a time as he needed a radical variable to solve his problem. And _voila_ , here I am!"

"Wait… _you're_ a Reaper? And you tried to take out Joshua? And now you're working for him?!" Riku asked in quick succession.

"…okay, not so quick on the uptake after all."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Riku asked critically.

"Logic isn't your strong suit, is it punk?" Sho countered, "There isn't a single reason you should trust _me_ …but the Composer wouldn't send me to be your Partner if he didn't think you could handle me. Unless, of course, he considers you non-integral to his formula…"

At that, Riku smirked, causing Sho to look confused. "If you have to resort to playing lame, transparent head-games, I've got nothing to worry about from you, after all," he reasoned. Then a thoughtful look came over him. "One thing I don't get, though…why did you need the door opened for you? Why couldn't Joshua just put you here? He obviously has the power."

"Heh, smug little brat doesn't know as much as he thinks he does," Sho said to himself; Riku stoically ignored the obvious baiting. "Two reasons. The first is to do with the mechanics of this castle, which I won't waste time getting into as they would _obviously_ go over your fractal brain," said Sho, adopting a face that was mostly serious, but still heavily tinged with pomposity, "The second is that His Prissiness had a special errand for me to run before joining you here," he added.

"And that would be?" Riku asked impatiently.

Sho's constantly smug grin widened to full-blown shit-eating proportions before he said, "The Composer never told me I _had_ to share that intel with you. So I'll exercise my right to keep my thoughts to myself on that one. If it ever becomes relevant to our mission, I _might_ clue you in… _if_ I'm feeling generous. And before you think about making any demands of me, know this; even though I'm on that high-and-mighty brat's shit-list, you and I are still supposed to be Partners, and thus on equal footing–in theory, anyways–so no 'pulling rank', as it were."

"Ass-hat indeed," muttered Riku, just loudly enough for Sho to hear him. Then louder, "Kariya sends his regards, by the way. Now let's get on with our mission already."

Sho's grin shrank away, to Riku's surprise, and he cocked his head thoughtfully. "So, that sissy put _those two_ in charge? Ha! What a radical theorem!"

* * *

 _Some distance outside of Castle Oblivion…_

…an odd duo of the utmost oddness was just lounging about in mid-air, as winged entities residing beyond the veil betwixt Life and Death are often wont to do.

Laying on his back with his arms folded under his head and a lollipop in his mouth, the orange-haired young man named Koki Kariya was deep in thought while staring up into the abyssal darkness of the sky over Castle Oblivion. Sitting criss-cross-applesauce next to him was his pink-haired turtleneck-and-corset-wearing partner-in-crime, Yashiro Uzuki. She observed the progress of the newly-minted duo of Riku and Sho on the screen of her smartphone, which somehow showed them even though there were no cameras in the castle for her to hack into. But she was a goddamn psychopomp, so logic could go suck an egg for all she cared.

"This whole thing is totally cray-cray, right? It ain't just me, right, Kariya?" she asked, still trying to puzzle out why Joshua would have even kept Minamimoto alive, much less assign him as someone's partner. _Everyone_ in the Reapers knew that the one thing that the Mad Mathematician was an unqualified failure at was cooperating with others. For all her cruelty and viciousness, even Uzuki could appreciate the value of a dependable partner, like her Kar– _her partner_ , Kariya…

Ahem.

After all, even if he was a lazy piece of shit with no sense of ambition or purpose, he always came through for her, as good partners do.

"Yeah, it's crazy alright. No doubt about that," Kariya agreed. "I've been wracking my brain trying to figure it all out."

"Wait, you're actually _using_ your head for something _other_ than a crime against hair-fashion?" Uzuki asked incredulously, taking her eyes from her screen to spare him a glance.

Not bothering to legitimize his partner's barb with any kind of reaction, Kariya raised one hand into the air to tick off the items on his list of 'weird shit that's happened today'. "First, the Composer Himself personally approaches us for a mission, which came with a probationary promotion to Officer and assignment as Game Masters. I don't know which one is weirder, that we were both put in charge of a Game together or that we were put in charge of a Game when we were still just Harriers yesterday. Second, he tells us that _our_ world was just a small part of a larger Multiverse and gave us a _huge_ info-dump about things called 'Kingdom Hearts', 'Keyblades', 'Heartless', 'Nobodies', and other crap that makes my head spin. Third, he sends us to this 'world' where there's no RG and UG, and tells us to help this Riku kid 'fix history'. What the hell is _that_ even supposed to mean? And last but not least, 'Oh, hey, Minamimoto _is still alive_ and I'm making him a Player in this bizzaro Game you'll be supervising, and you won't have any Noise or any other Reapers to help you, either'. So there's all _that_ , too."

"Well, we're actually supposed to _help_ them, not try to erase them–"

" _Which is also really weird!_ " Kariya interjected.

"–So we don't really need Noise or other Reapers, do we?" Uzuki asked rhetorically.

Kariya sat up, pulling one of his legs up and propping his right elbow on his knee. "I don't know about you, but _when_ Pi-face flips his shit and goes rogue, and we have to erase him, I'd feel better having some back-up."

"Tch, we've got each other, dumbass. What other back-up would we need?" Uzuki sneered, even as her cheeks heated up.

"Dunno if you remember, Yashiro, but we got our asses kicked by Joshua's Proxy and that butthead punk friend of his. You sure we can take that bag of crazy?"

"He won't be able to summon any Noise either, Taboo or otherwise, and if he steps out of line," Uzuki stood up, reached out her hand, and summoned a revolver with a flash of pink light, "I'll _totally_ blow his brains out myself," she finished with a wicked grin.

Kariya blinked, and then shot her a grin. "My fearless guardian angel, huh?" he teased, causing Uzuki to blush furiously. "Alright, enough sappy crap. Hand over the phone, Yashiro, it's my turn to watch 'em."

"Like, whatever! Get your own!"

* * *

"I can't portal in there!" Riku snapped, angry and confused that this one door was seemingly rebuffing him. He couldn't open it, any attempt to bypass it with a Corridor came to nothing, and it was the last barrier between him and the Destiny Islands memory-world where his past-self was being held prisoner; his best guess was that this door refused to yield precisely _because_ the floor beyond it was being used as a prison.

In other words, the Organization must have sealed it off somehow to keep the other Riku inside and anyone who might want to help him, out. "If I had an actual Keyblade," he muttered angrily. His Mastery over Light and Darkness seemed to let him break most of the Castle's 'rules', such as needing cards to open doors or fight and being able to access his Dark Mode at will, but he was still limited to using his old Soul Eater.

"Keyblade…hey, that sounds familiar," commented Sho, who was leaning against a nearby wall and had been watching with immense amusement as Riku struggled against this one obstinate door.

Riku shot him a dirty look and said, "Don't tell me you're actually going to make yourself useful here?"

"I just might, actually," Sho replied. "I just recalled that His Prissiness had something for me to give to you," he continued as he pulled a glimmering pin out of his pocket. "I was wondering what use you could have for it. After all, the Underground doesn't exist in other worlds beyond our own. So what use could a Player Pin be to you, when their power only works in the UG? But you just reminded me that he _did_ say something you being completely worthless without something called a 'Keyblade'…"

Riku belligerently ignored the ex-Reaper's insult and turned to face him fully. Sho tossed him the pin, and the instant Riku caught it, it flashed brightly before being replaced by a very familiar token…

"Joshua…" Riku muttered in awe. "Thank you." Riku held the token in the palm of his left hand and summoned Soul Eater in his right, and slammed the hilt of the weapon into the token, and in a burst of Dark Fire the weapon became his Way to the Dawn.

"I see," said Sho, his tone and expression entirely serious for once. "The 'pin' was just a carrying form that would allow me to transport that Keychain to you. Very clever, Joshua."

"Sounds like someone knows more about the Keyblade than he wanted to let on," remarked Riku, pointing his Keyblade at the door and unlocking it easily.

"HA! I know something about _everything_ , like a true Renaissance man!" Sho boasted, "In fact, I'm a one-man Renaissance!"

Riku rolled his eyes and said, "Wait here. This…I can handle myself."

* * *

 _A few minutes later…_

Riku returned, surprised to find that Sho really was waiting where he had left him. He was fiddling with some kind of puzzle-cube that appeared to be made up of smaller cubes of different colors of light. Upon noticing Riku's return, Sho made the light-cube disappear and cracked his knuckles. "Alright, 'partner', anything _else_ we need to do before we can get the hell out of this bland-ass excuse for a castle?" he asked.

"Just one thing," Riku assured, pointing Way to the Dawn forward and using it to open a Corridor of Darkness directly to the top floor of the Castle. "There's a girl waiting to be rescued."

* * *

A/N: I could unload a torrent of apologies again, but I think if I did that every time, it would eventually render the apologies meaningless. I just have to accept that, right now, my schedule is not conducive to timely writing. Hopefully, this will change soon, but I won't make any promises that I don't know I can keep. I hope you all can forgive my tardiness and bear with me. At the very least, know that I don't take your patience for granted, nor do I have any illusions of grandeur regarding my own humble work. That some of you are enjoying this enough to keep coming back for more is already way more than I ever dared to hope for, and I pray to someday be the writer you wonderful people deserve ^_^

(Feel free to tack on the obligatory Dark Knight joke, if you so wish =3)

Now some actual Notes regarding this chapter! Yes, I realize how cheap I'm being by side-stepping any integration of CoM OR TWEWY combat mechanics into this story, despite Riku .being in Castle Oblivion AND being a Player in the Reaper's Game. And while I'm totally doing this just to save myself a bit of a hassle, I do have some semi-half-assed justifications. I'm not _so_ lowly as to feel that I'm entitled to blatantly disregard established lore to suit my own laziness. That's a big no-no in my book. I will, however, latch onto any conceivable loophole that might let me get away with such a thing. Besides, in a story what really matters is that there's enough dramatic tension present that the readers care about whether or not the protagonists succeed, right?

First, Riku being able to break the card system; this is probably most-definitely the cheaper of the two loopholes, but here it is: Riku is confirmed to be the first (known) Keyblade Master to have true control over both the Light and the Darkness. That right there already opens up the possibility of him being able to do all sorts of other things that have never been done before, BUT that's not to say that I'm going to use that as an excuse to have Riku make ass-pulls left and right. There still has to be some underlying reason and probability. In this case, note that Castle Oblivion's unique world mechanics are not natural qualities of its world, but features of a defensive enchantment that Master Aqua laid upon the Land of Departures. Note also that the purpose of said enchantment is to protect the world from the forces of Darkness.

My logic is that, as one who has mastered his Light and his Darkness, and brought the two into harmony, Riku could theoretically be exempt from this enchantment's restrictions. As one who has _truly_ mastered Darkness, Riku is not a slave to it, and thus does not pose a threat to the world of Castle Oblivion. And before anyone asks, "Then why would CO consider Sora a threat to the world?" let me remind you of this often-overlooked plot point.

 _Sora was a Heartless during Chain of Memories._

Yes, yes he was. A Heartless in human form? Yes, just like Ansem was. A Heartless that can feel emotions? Yes, because he actually still had his heart, just like all other Heartless do. That's the misleading thing about the Heartless; they aren't actually heartless, Nobodies are. The Heartless only behave as if devoid of emotion because they're hearts are shrouded in Darkness. Kairi didn't actually turn Sora's Heartless back into a human being, she just made him look like Sora again, and shared her Light with him so he could act like Sora. He wasn't _really_ properly Sora again until his Heartless and Nobody–Roxas–were reunited in KH2. That's my theory, at least, and I'll hold it as long as Nomura doesn't make a point of telling me that I'm wrong. Assuming that my theory is true, the enchantment on CO would recognize Sora as a potential threat and affect him as it would anyone else.

Second, the extreme unorthodoxy of the Game Riku is in. It is confirmed that the different worlds in the Square-Disney Multiverse (Squeesneyverse?) have their own quirks. Their own subtly different laws of physics, as it were. Example, the Curse of the Aztec Gold in Port Royal, which explicitly does not affect outworlders like Sora, Donald, Goofy, or Luxord, or the lack of human beings in the Pride Lands being SO absolute that not only does Sora automatically transform into a lion when he goes there, but even mere _humanoids_ like Donald, Goofy, and Pete are also forcibly transformed into much-less anthropomorphized animals. I could go on, but I won't.

Point being, it should be fair to presume that the Underground/Realground and the existence of the Noise (which are otherwise very Heartless-like) are 'quirks' specific to the TWEWY world. So yes, I'm using that bit of KH lore, "Different worlds have different rules", as an excuse to let Riku boycott the combat rules of the Reaper's Game. However! He is still bound by other rules. He did have to give up an entry fee (which will be elaborated upon), he is in danger of being erased if he cannot win the Game, or if anything unfortunate should happen to Minamimoto, or if they fail in any of the 'missions' required to repair the timeline. To say nothing of other complications that have yet to arise…

Fufufu…

And then there's Minamimoto himself, who will most assuredly prove as much a hindrance as a help, if not more so, to our dear Riku. And to those who were paying attention in 3D, it's clear that the Light Puck can exist outside of the TWEWY world, so that's still on the table.

We can all agree that the _best_ fanfics are the ones that can stand on their own without having to break the lore of the source-canon, but surely a fanfic that only makes a few little breaks here and there can still be good, right? Right?

Or is this whole thing not nearly as big a deal as I'm making it out to be? Am I being overly nitpicky and apologetic of my own work? Doth I protest too much?

I guess that's for you to decide. Hopefully, you all enjoyed this story regardless.

NEXT CHAPTER! We'll probably open with Riku again, but the focus should be more on Sora and friends, and we might even check in on those lovely people we left in the future. Whatever comes next, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'll enjoy writing it ^_^

Wolfman, ow-out!


End file.
